Latest news with #MeganGage
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado woman runs 189 miles to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis
While a lot of people are relaxing on Memorial Day weekend, one Colorado woman is spending her week raising awareness about Multiple Sclerosis by running further than some people will run in their lives. Megan Gage is thankful for every step she takes, and this week she will be taking a lot of them. "I've trained for a long time, and I'm excited that it's finally here," said Gage. "The goal is to save some of the energy by giving less than I'm capable of, so that over the course of a week, I have gas left in the tank." The Castle Rock woman is running 189 miles from Denver's Sloan Lake to the Colorado-Nebraska state line. By 6 am on Sunday, she already had four under her belt, and she says she feels good. "Last night I felt calm. The night before that, I was a mess," said Gage. She is on this journey to raise money for and awareness about multiple sclerosis and multiple sclerosis research. A cause that is important to her because five years ago she was diagnosed with the disease. "My future turned gray where it's like all the color is instantly sucked out," said Gage. Initially, she was frightened because the autoimmune disease had the potential to strip her of all her movement and lead to her eventual death. But after running a half marathon shortly after diagnosis, she decided to take her health into her own hands as much as possible. Megan Gage sits in a hospital bed after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Megan Gage She started running and eventually joined Team MS Run the US on their annual run across the United States. This week, she is running her leg of the cross-country effort. She's been training for months now, but even that hasn't been without challenges. Just a few weeks ago, she came down with COVID, which is a little more difficult for her. "One of the main treatments for MS compromises your immune system and when you don't have any B-cells, it makes it much harder to fight off basic things like COVID," said Gage. "But I missed one run in seven months. So, I think that I showed up enough that I think I'm going to be okay." She is making her way to Wray, Colorado to prove to herself and her community that with the right attitude and support, you can overcome anything. Megan Gage celebrates finishing a race. The Colorado woman is now running 189 miles to raise money and awareness about multiple sclerosis. Megan Gage "My people have shown up. They've donated. They've supported, you know, bracelets and bumblebees and just little mementos to know that I have my people with me. It's meant everything," said Gage. She'll finish her leg in seven days, and she's hoping to reach her 15,000 fundraising goal by then.
CBS News
14-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado runner breaking through barriers after life-changing diagnosis
After a life-changing diagnosis, a Colorado woman is determined to live life to the fullest. Now, she's training for the biggest run of her life. "If you would have said, 'You're going to be running to Nebraska,' I thought that was not on my bingo card," said Castle Rock resident Megan Gage. Despite the 189-mile run she's preparing for, Megan is the first to admit she isn't an elite athlete. "In the beginning, I almost felt like a liar. Where it was like I didn't have the right to call myself a runner," Gage said. She has been running for less than five years, a hobby she picked up after receiving the worst news of her life. "My future turned gray, where it's like, all the color is instantly sucked out," said Gage. Gage was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, called MS. It's an autoimmune disease that has the potential to strip her of all movement and lead to her eventual death. So, she decided it was time to start crossing things off her bucket list. One of those things was to run a half marathon. "My original intention was like, I'm just going to do this. And now I did it, and it's over," said Gage. "I got it done. And at the end of that, my husband sent, gave me a little keychain that said 13.1 and a half crazy." But little did she know that, like many runners, she had become hooked. "I said, I think I got to go back for the big boy. Like, I got to do the whole thing," she explained. After running her first marathon last year, both Gage and her coach wondered what was next. That's when she saw the " MS Run the US " team. They were running a cross-country relay to raise money and awareness for MS. Gage thought she would like to join; all she had to do was tell her coach. "When I told her this, there's almost shame to it that this is such a big stupid goal and somebody like me has no business even swinging at it. And her response was life-changing. And she said, 'As your coach, it's not my job to judge you. It's my job to hear your goals and to give you the tools to accomplish them,'" said Gage. Now, she and her team are deep into training for the May run. Next month, Gage will make the trek from Denver's Sloan's Lake to Wray, CO, which sits next to the Colorado-Nebraska border. She says she's ready. "I literally have showed up every day; there is a plan," said Gage. All that's left is to run. A passion she may have never picked up if it wasn't for her MS diagnosis but has ultimately helped her become healthier than she ever could have imagined "I live in such a mindful, intentional way," she said. And she wants everyone to know that no matter what your challenge is, when you meet it head on, you can overcome. "My hope is that somebody will see this story, and they will open their eyes to what's possible," said Gage. "Of course, it's a sad, dark day, but it's like it can also be an invitation for a new chapter." Gage wants to raise $10,000. She's well on her way with nearly $7,000 already raised and one month left to donate.
