Stroke Podcast Episode 28 – Getting back to running after a stroke with foot drop was not really something on Donna’s mind until her early 40s.
At 8 years old, Donna Campisi survived a stroke (and other serious complications) and doctors said she would never walk or talk again. At 14, she was in a critical condition and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Donna leads by example and as an Adventure & Performance Coach, her programs are about resilience, achievement, self-belief, pleasure, and getting out of your comfort zone, which gives participants the confidence to achieve any further goal they set.
Donna loves to turn her BIG scary dreams into a REALITY taking many baby steps and training to eventually run the full Melbourne Marathon
It all started in 2012 when she set her own challenge: a campaign called ‘Run Donna Run.’ She planned to go from being able to run ONLY 30 wobbly steps in November 2012, to completing a marathon in October the following year.
Check out more episodes on recovery from stroke here. Overcoming Stroke with Clare Coffield Ep 10
Marathon running with foot drop.
Her marathon success raised over $36K for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, inspired many followers and proved that – there’s no such thing as can’t.
She is now an inspirational speaker, speaking to thousands of people both in Australia and internationally.
Donna is the author of the book ‘The Unlikely Marathoner – How to Conquer your big goal and Run with It’, which gained keen interest before printing even started. In the book, Donna shares the story of how she got back to running after her stroke.
She has a blog on RunDonnaRun.com.au, inspiring many people around the world, and you can also check out her range of RunDonnaRun tops there- for men and women, to keep motivated.
Donna’s background in business development and life coaching, and being an expert in conquering her own big challenges, has led her into coaching women, to get their dream business up and running!
Get back to running after a stroke, take the challenge.
Donna is a woman who takes a challenge and believes it is achievable when broken into ‘baby steps’ and has the right mindset. She explains with confidence: ‘Don’t just take opportunities when they come… Create opportunities!’
*Book is sold at TheUnlikeyMarathoner.com OR selected Dymocks Bookstores OR the eBook is on Amazon.com
Transcription:
Intro 0:05
The transit lounge podcast moves you through life’s transit lounge and helps you go from where you are to where you’d rather be.
Bill 0:14
My guest today is Donna Campisi, who recently got back to running after a stroke at age seven when doctors told her family that she would never walk or talk again. In 2012, Donna set her own challenge a campaign called Run Donal run, where she planned to go from being able to only one day what are the steps in November 2012.
Bill 0:40
To complete a marathon in October of the following year. Donna completed the full marathon and raised over 36k for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and inspire the followers and prove that there is no such thing as can’t. Now if you or someone you care about has had a stroke And has started the recovery. You’ll don’t want a scary and confusing time it can be.
Bill 1:06
It might be a whole lot of questions going through your mind like, how long will it take to recover? Will I actually recover? What things should I avoid? In case I’ll make it worse? My doctors and therapists were always helpful in explaining things. But obviously, because I’ve never had a stroke before, I didn’t know what questions to ask.
Bill 1:26
And so I worried a lot and missed out on doing things that could have sped up my recovery. So if you’re finding yourself in that situation, stop worrying and head to the transit lounge podcast.com where you can download a guide that will help you. It’s called seven questions to ask your doctor after a stroke. These seven questions are the ones I wish I’d asked when I had my stroke because they not only helped me better understand my condition. They helped me take a more active role in my own recovery, rather than just waiting to be seen. told what to do at my next appointment, head to the website now, the transit lounge podcast.com, and download the guide. It’s free. I’m curious about how long ago did we meet?
Donna Campisi 2:15
You actually contacted me, Bill, when I began the run donor run campaign as a like, way back in 2012-2013. That was, yeah, that was when I started it. And it started out as a fundraiser campaign, as you know, and now it’s turned into my business name. But um, yeah, I remember you contacting me, and he just must have found out about me, and, you know, the whole connection with the stroke. You know, was there and I think you even wanted to meet up with me, which we did. And I think you’re sort of inquiring back then about how to do fundraising. All of that. Now I remember. Ah, yes. Am Nelson. Wait. Yes.
Bill 3:02
Okay, that was a significant day actually, for me. It actually sits him a lot to me about who you were. And that was because that was a pretty big day for your family as well.
Donna Campisi 3:16
Yeah, yeah. Look, when I met you that day because I know what you’re talking about my brother’s dead. Yeah. Yeah, I just come back from Nigeria, where my family left my brother the day before, and I had to come back for something which, you know, it’s just one of those things, but I remember leaving my brother in hospital and saying, I’ll see you soon. And that’s what I thought. And then the next day, I remember like, I met him a time with you.
Donna Campisi 3:48
So, you know, that was in the day. And, you know, things were fine. I probably didn’t even let on. anything was wrong, because we were all hoping and you know, Just thinking that you know, things would be fine. And that evening when my brother passed away. very significant day.
Donna Campisi 4:12
Yeah.
Bill 4:13
It’s interesting. That takes me back to a time when my wife’s brother-in-law passed away. He was 31. And yeah, and he had liver cancer. And he wasn’t a drinker. He wasn’t anyone who you would pick and say, Oh, this guy, you know, has abused his body or anything like that. He just had a really rare disease. And it wasn’t going to be fixed. So the challenge for us was because we’d never been through something like that. This is significant for our chat as we go along. Because we’ve never been through something like that. We just assumed that everything was going to be okay as well.
Bill 4:48
He was at that point where he couldn’t shave himself because he didn’t have a neurological condition. He couldn’t use his arms. And he asked me to shave him and even at that time, it didn’t occur to me that He was not going to be around literally a week later.
Bill 5:04
Yeah, I understand you just don’t assume that they’re not going to be around your loved ones not going to be around, you assume that they’re going to give better and come on man, and whatever. And that’s kind of left this thing in my mind about you know what? Back then it did. And I didn’t pay attention to it until I became unwell.
Bill 5:22
But back then it was like, that hug. That doesn’t matter. Like that hug matters. Like, I’ll give you that hug. I’ll say, I love you. And hopefully, the last thing that I’ve said to that person who’s unwell is I love you. And that’s something that happened to me. A few years later, it was the last thing I’d said to somebody in our family and we’ll talk about that later. Yeah. And it kind of not that I have regrets for you know, not being around when other people have passed or you know, haven’t said Good day or whatever the last thing but it just makes it feel better for me and I don’t know if it’s about me, or about who but that Remember to just tell people I love you. I think it’s really important.
Donna Campisi 6:07
Hmm, yeah, definitely. And I mean, my brother was the same and you know, you took I think, Well, I think when you’re talking about with your brother-in-law, wasn’t it?
Bill 6:15
Yeah, it was. It was my wife’s brother-in-law said my dad.
Donna Campisi 6:19
Yeah. Which is pretty close still, but when you’re, I’m just thinking about the age factor when you’re my brother was a young too, you know, in his 47 in his late 40s, and had so much going, you know, why just an 18-month-old son, and, excuse me, I’m just gonna take a sip of water, sorry, coffee.
Bill 6:43
Whatever works, is there anything better?
Unknown Speaker 6:45
I’ve got water and coffee here.
Bill 6:48
So don’t lie. Don’t tell us things. I don’t want people to know.
Donna Campisi 6:52
When I talk, like when I was, you know, I’m a speaker and you are too. I just always get a dry throat. Do you
Donna Campisi 7:00
Sometimes, yeah. Anyway, back to the story. I mean, your brother-in-law, my brother at a young age, you never, you never sort of consider that. And my brother was in a state of, yeah, lying in bed. Not able to do much as well. And you, you just think and I mean, he’s faith and positive approach as well was so strong that that’s all we could offer as well to be strong positive for him. And, and we just thought that you know he would come through and it’s it is I think, especially when it’s someone close to you like you know and it’s kind of the first time I’ve come across death in the immediate family that yeah is for someone that’s at a young age like you know, you just I didn’t know it was hard to accept and even I think I was in a state of denial at times because he lived in modern. I lived in Melbourne. So I didn’t notice it. Not that I didn’t notice it as much, but especially when I go to Mogera. I noticed that more because I expect Brian to be, you know, walking in the door of, you know, my parents play saying hi, and that sort of thing. And, yeah, it took some time for me to accept that and acknowledge it. Yeah. And even say yes, or no, yeah,
Bill 8:36
it’s tough. You know, it’s significant, though, because stroke happens to anybody at any age. Hmm. And your strike story is really interesting. Tell me a little bit about you before the strike and just let’s give people a bit of an insight into who you are like, what you’re about these days and why is that.
Donna Campisi 8:59
Which one Before you ask me so many questions in one okay before I was just your average kid, you know your average active happy-go-lucky kid, you know because I was seven years old so it happened at a young age I can just remember, you know, just being active and wanting to play and you know, just sort of enthusiastic probably the same as either now, but I’m going out. And I, it happened. Yeah. When I was seven so it happened to me. Well, the lead up to it was I was actually sick at home from school for a couple of weeks before my mom took me to the doctor we were concerned with I had symptoms like diarrhea and a throat thing and it you know, it was just something that we were puzzled by but then it got to this stage where, like doctors just usually give you antibiotics. Whoa, yeah, and go home and rest. And then I remember going back to the doctor and struggling to actually walk into the clinic, my mom kind of was trying to help me and it was something that you know, was going on with my foot and at the bottom of my foot, we didn’t know whether it was a buy at or what. And I remember, my JP was there at the time, he would mess up in a way so seeing a
Donna Campisi 10:29
What do you call them? emergency? Filling doctor. I knew the name for it. And so I suppose he didn’t know me as well. And my mom and my mom, sort of when we talk about it now, she said, I think he just thought I was an overprotective mother. But mothers always know. You know, I’m saying and so I remember walking out of there and he told my mom that I had tonsillitis. Anyway, it happened in the early hours of the morning. I was actually staying with my parents and read him on the mattress on the floor. So that’s how bad I suppose I was because they were just really keeping a close eye on me. And because I had fevers, that sort of thing as well.
Donna Campisi 11:11
And it happened in the early hours in the morning and I work at my parents, you know, obviously, shockingly them, my body, my body was shaking, my eyes roll back. This is how my dad describes it. And I just lost all control of my body. I don’t wet the bed and just lost my speech then. And, you know, my parents were obviously shocked and you know, called the ambulance and went to the local hospital in Nigeria. They were puzzled. They did blood tests, but couldn’t work it out. And then they just said to my parents, we have to rush down to the road to this hospital in Melbourne. So I was blown with my mom, my dad and my brother racing in the car. To get there and when I got there, there was a system emergency team on me and yeah, they were puzzled and they called me the mystery kill the medical team. They just didn’t know what was going on. So
Bill 12:17
do you reckon they didn’t know what was going on? Because it was, what year? Was it?
Donna Campisi 12:24
1978
Bill 12:25
drinking it was anything to do with just my age now. I tried not to do that. I try not to tell everybody but
Donna Campisi 12:33
okay. I actually am okay with my I celebrate every year and you would do now? Absolutely. Yeah.
Bill 12:40
Right, which direction it was in 1978 issues just because it was so early. They didn’t have a diagnosis and because it had been such a long duration between when you woke up with the symptoms and then when you ended up in the hospital, what’s your
Donna Campisi 12:56
name? It could have been that and it also Could have been I had many symptoms. So in the end when they diagnosed me, it was damaged to the left side of the brain that affected the right side of the body. So, there was also meningitis stuff septicemia had a Holly heart murmur I had, I can’t think of the name to explain why something rather small and splain us DML osteomyelitis in my right ankle and I was just in a make I was very thin
Bill 13:28
Enough, Donna. Enough, how can the seven-year-old be doing all that stuff?
Donna Campisi 13:33
But also, I think just yeah, it was an unusual situation for a child back then. Because unfortunately, it does happen to children now and it’s more common. Unfortunately, it’s common at any age, as you know. But I think back then, though, just going through what was going on and then slowly as I progressed, they nicknamed me The Miracle Girl.
Donna Campisi 13:58
Yeah, so I mean, it was a long progression.
Donna Campisi 14:03
Yeah. And I remember you asking me not so long ago when you were doing a survey of people who’d had strikes for your program. And you asked me something like, when were you? I don’t know if you said cured, or when did you get to a point where you’re better and I just, I don’t even know if it is that point, Bill, because I always just think there’s room for improvement. Like you’ve seen me walk I walk with the lamb. My hand when I was a child was very clenched. It was like a claw. But now I mean, this is a man if this was and now I can stretch my fingers out but when I go to straighten my wrist, my fingers just want to go in so I mean, there’s those things but I can do a lot of things now with my hand whereas I as a child, I wasn’t able to and
Bill 14:53
tell me about Yes, was gonna say certain throughout. Tell me about that as a child, let’s say you’re seven you’re recovering, and you’ve got all these changes that have occurred to your body. There’s nothing you can do about it other than rehab and all that type of stuff. And that’s, I don’t want to downplay it, other than rehab, you’re going through rehab and all those things. But what’s it like to go back to school now? and be a seven-year-old child that’s different from what you were when you left and probably the only child in the school that had these obvious signs that something wasn’t right.
Donna Campisi 15:31
Yeah, I might say go with eight. And I’m surprised they didn’t actually make me repeat the year because I was going in and out of the classroom and would take me to do physio to occupational therapy to method. So I’m really lucky that I had all those treatments but going to school, I was I went to a small school and I was just always, you know, praying for me and the teacher kept in contact and now it is really lovely.
Donna Campisi 16:01
And so I never got to the stage of and I never had that bullying thing. Look at Donna. She looked a bit weird and I don’t remember. Maybe they thought it. But I don’t remember feeling that way. Because I did go to school in a wheelchair. I wasn’t able to fully walk. I had a walking stick, you know, there are quad ones with the four things. four feet. Yeah, I don’t describe it very well. There’s a name for it. But um, I think everyone was just like, wow, Donna’s back, you know, and I saw I felt that I felt really yeah, just grateful to be back.
Donna Campisi 16:42
I mean, these are when you talk about goals and when I always do when I you know, speaking and my book and stuff like that. And anyone that sets big goals and achieves them always talks about the reasons why. Yeah, you know, you think about why you want to achieve it, and back then I think it was four My family I didn’t want to be one of those. I didn’t want to be a hassle basically. Yeah, sure, what’s it sometimes, but I always say you back then as a 78-year-old, you just want to be going to play school with your friends and your brother and sisters and you know, just that normal stuff.
Bill 17:20
Yeah. But then there are the things that change when you move from being a primary school kid into a school kid in high school. What’s that like? And now you’re becoming a lady and you know, there’s changes and there’s different things that you’re probably noticing. So what’s that like for a teenager?
Donna Campisi 17:39
Yes. As a teenager, because I shifted school I went to a different school in year eight, and that was like a big school like it was over 1000 students coming from a small like, you know, little private school and
Donna Campisi 18:00
People I think still treated me the same but I think Yeah, you’re more self-conscious. Has any teenager Yeah, but I, I still was your everyday outgoing person but I kind of because as a child I wore a caliper. And then I didn’t like I grew out of that
Bill 18:20
is something that is used to help support the leg, right?
Donna Campisi 18:24
Yeah. And it’s attached to your shoe and you’re Yeah. Do you know Forrest Gump yesterday? Remember him wearing calipers? Yeah. I don’t know. I think they exist anyway. I think they’re an old-school thing. Yeah. But anyway, I grew out of that and what I’ve got, I’m not sure if you have this too, but I’ve got foot drop.
Donna Campisi 18:45
I don’t have a footdrop. Okay, foot drop is a whim. Because normally when you walk, you land on your heel first, right, and then your toes but I was landing on my toes first and then my heel and I still do walk like that. Like if I’m barefoot and stuff like that, and I tend to trip a lot. So at high school I didn’t have the caliper and didn’t have the brace that I wear now because I have a brace now that lifts up my toes and it’s great, I love it. But I think I used to hold and hide my hand as a teenager and just wanted to be that normal kid.
Donna Campisi 19:31
So I know what you mean the teenagers do a little bit more self-conscious, but I think my friends didn’t really make a deal of it. So I’m really grateful for that. But back then I did have epilepsy as well from the stroke. So I’m fully controlled now I take medication but it was a bit of a juggling act growing up with anything because the medication You had to sort of always alter as you grew. And I was like, at one stage having a seizure, where it would be like one a week or whatever. And it was just unpredictable too. So that was something to deal with up until I suppose.
Bill 20:19
I tell me, you know, when you’re a teenager, what’s something you wish you now thinking back that you could have told your parents to lay off of because they would have been even more protective, but they would have been coming from? Well, we need to protect her or whatever kind of the point of view, like pretty cool, normal parents, you know, parent point of view, but as a teenager, what do you kind of wish you could have said to them, mom and dad now that I think about it, you know, lay off or give me a break or there’s something that you didn’t realize that you couldn’t communicate at the time cuz you would have been just a cranky teenager anyway.
Donna Campisi 20:58
What makes you think that Bill
Bill 21:00
I’ve been one. And I know a lot of people have been one.
Donna Campisi 21:03
Do you think everyone is nice? I actually know what you mean parents are very protective and I as a young girl, I mean, maybe in my teens I don’t know, I was always known as the sick child or the sick girl. I mean, I did not have nine eyes on it but I felt like it. You know, I mean, like I always even mom on the phone and if her sisters called and you can hear the answers, she’s good.
Donna Campisi 21:32
Yeah, they are good. Oh, yeah, Donna’s good. Like I was, I was like, the waves and the people just ask because of concern. And you know, and I’m kind of made to be this special stick out and I didn’t want to be I wanted to be like my other brothers sisters. So, um, I don’t think I would tell them anything different because I probably told them when I was a teenager. I was. I remember my mom talking about me to another mother who had a daughter or the daughter, who had a stroke, and they wanted to meet me.
Donna Campisi 22:06
And this was when I was in my early 20s. And I was talking to Emma and who was the girl with this stroke. And mom was talking to the mother. And I remember hearing her in the background saying something like, My daughter is very determined, you can’t even tell her what to do anyway. So I probably told them, like, you know, Mom, Dad lay off, you know, I can do this. Even as an adult, they even now like I’m in my 40s now, and they’re just, they’re just beautiful people, and they just want the best for the children. Yeah, he was an adult now. But they sometimes go to do something for me like I did when I was living with them, which was many years ago. And I just said, Look, it’s cool. I can do it. Do you know? It’s just Yeah, I know. Protective parents. Yeah, parents.
Bill 22:58
Oh, no, that’s all good. Probably,
Bill 23:02
understandably a little bit overprotective when there’s such a number of challenges to overcome, you know, to help you overcome so. So you know, not not a problem from my point of view. I don’t didn’t ask that to sort of give parents a hard time I sort of asked to give it into what’s going on because it’s likely that people are going to listen to this who
Bill 23:25
are parents and your children may have had it children may have had a stroke, a stroke, right? So it’d be a great way to sort of just give them a little bit of you know, what if your kids’ cell telling you to get stuff Mom and Dad Leave me alone? probably leave them alone, you know, because, yes, probably all right, you know, to leave him alone every once in a while or to just lay off them or just to give him some space and treat them normal.
Bill 23:50
It’s hard for
Donna Campisi 23:50
me Yes, I yeah. Well, it’s Oh, sorry. Well, what I was going to say because I do think it’s important here because your listeners would have concerns and what I want to say to them is, don’t try to do everything because I have worked in the past with people with disabilities myself. And sometimes it’s stuff that goes in and just go, okay, bang, bang, bang, let’s do it all for them and you’re just kind of taking that their abilities away. Just find out what they can do first. That’s what I would encourage parents and family and anyone that you know, who is helping, and they all come from a good place they want to, they want to help and just see what they can do and then go Look, do you need a hand with that? Or, you know, do you want me to lay back and I know it’s a lot. I mean, it’s patience to people. We’ve got to have patience, like, Okay, this is going to take longer for Donna to do or whoever I’m visiting. But we’ve got to hold back and just see how she goes and even if she does full, that’s fine.
Bill 24:57
You know, it’s kind of focusing on a strength Yeah. Like, what are the strengths? focus on those? And give because what that does is if people get results based on what they’re good at, then they’ll feel good about themselves. And then those things that they’re not good at will kind of also, just by default get they’ll get better at that as well. So yeah, yeah, that sounds like a good plan. So you know, in your 20s
Donna Campisi 25:20
I call it baby steps to like, it’s all baby steps and just celebrate each step that’s achieved, even if it’s small, you know, go look excellent. Let’s celebrate him have a party, you know, and everything like that. Just like acknowledging it. And yeah, you know what it’s about? Yeah. So it’s, it’s really important to not take things away from people even though you want to help as much as you can and you feel helpless. It’s similar to the situation that you’re talking about regarding your brother-in-law and my brother, like we went to just to do so much to help and all I could do, and you’re The same that I would just speak for myself was what he asked and that was just be positive. And you know, don’t give up on me kind of thing. And be strong for him. No, no, just don’t turn up every day crying.
Donna Campisi 26:18
Turn to me. So, I guess.
Bill 26:21
So, you know in your 20s when you transitioned out of school, high school, and then did you go straight into work? Did you go into a career? What did you do then?
Donna Campisi 26:34
Yeah, I did have about I think it was one year of just working any crap job. And then I made a couple of cars. It was at the age of 20. Where I
Donna Campisi 26:49
studied, I Went, went to uni. Yes, I was known as a mature-age student and I thought that was meant to be the least mature.
Bill 27:01
Probably struggle to say mature to you now I reckon.
Donna Campisi 27:08
Thank you Thank you for you know me so well. So good.
Bill 27:12
So you went into uni What did you study?
Donna Campisi 27:15
I studied primary teaching, and believe it or not,
Bill 27:17
no, that makes sense to me. Kids love being around you
Donna Campisi 27:22
actually love being around kids, but I actually changed my course halfway through. Yeah, I yeah. So I went I moved to Bendigo from New Jersey, I moved to Bendigo and stayed there for about five years, and now Melbourne Circle. I, I call them Melbourne and Mogera home, I suppose. Because you know, I have family and it’s still in Mogera and you know, I like to go there, you know, it’s where I was brought up. But Melbourne I have I can call myself a local now because I’ve been here for quite some time.
Bill 27:55
What did you study in Bendigo when you shifted from
Donna Campisi 27:59
studying Yeah, I, as you do, the uni student got casual work, and I got work working with people with intellectual disabilities. And I really enjoyed it. And I, I sort of asked other staff like, what is their qualification I need, what do I need to do because that was just a casual job. And they told me the course and that’s when I changed over and studied disability. Finally now
Bill 28:31
that makes sense.
Donna Campisi 28:33
People sort of have asked me in the past, do you think that’s because of your situation? Really nice.
Bill 28:39
Yeah, sounds like it felt good. And you went with it?
Donna Campisi 28:43
Yeah.
Bill 28:44
yeah. did. Did you get a qualification? Did you actually end up working in the industry?
Donna Campisi 28:50
Yeah, yeah. I worked for about 20 years in the industry. And what I did like about it is it is just okay, you’re a teacher in a classroom with 20 kids or whatever it is. And that’s it. Whereas in the disability field, there were so many, so many different positions that I held, whether it was in adult training centers, so as a trainer, but also leisure, you know, kind of leisure activities or stuff in the home residential, the basic stuff that we take for granted.
So, teaching them skills to be independent or semi-dependent, depending on their situation. So, I suppose that takes me back to the question you asked about before the parents. You know, sometimes, you know, kids say I’ll get out of the way and so, so that’s why I think I was quite good in my role because I did give people that space to actually try stuff instead of like, there was a lot of stuff that we just get our look at just quickly if I do it, you know, and I just thought, Oh, hang on.
Bill 30:11
Let this person try and towering.
Donna Let this person try yeah, I didn’t do it intentionally they did it because they wanted to do a good job and get things done. But in the long run, I see that as Yeah, like you say just empowering, taking skills away that they can eventually learn with baby steps. I always talk about baby steps.
Bill 30:31
Yeah, it is true, like baby steps when I was going through rehab and had to, you know, regain the use of my left leg and my ability to walk.
Bill 30:41
Or no one minute was too much at the beginning. It was exhausting. Trying to think about where my foot has to go and how to position my knee and my hip and all that kind of stuff. You don’t think about that stuff and you don’t think that it’s going to be difficult when By the way, just put your Put here make sure you nail it looks like that, do this do that. There’s no, I had no idea about that. And then one minute into rehab, I’m going guys I’ve had enough I’m done can’t do anymore, and thinking, I’m physically emotionally, and mentally drained, exhausted.
So, of course, obviously, now they understand, you know, what happens to people who experienced in a neurological condition or challenges. So one minute was that it sit down, relax, and there’s another rehab session in the afternoon.
And that one there, you know, we’ll do another minute and that minute grew from a minute to and two five into 10 into then later on, getting back to some kind of level of what was happening before but at the beginning, that’s if you can only do a minute you can only do a minute and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s actually paying attention and going okay, I need a risk. Now. I need to let my buddy you know, get over the shock of doing That, if we’re putting that much effort in, it’s so much effort.
Donna Let this person try and32:05
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I know what you’re talking about. And I, yeah, just I mean, I really want to help people that are listening to so just to remember that and people that are going through rehab now with the stroke as well. Don’t be so hard on yourself. And I, people can just be really frustrated and hard on the stuff and just go, look, I only did a minute like you’re talking about, but be grateful for that. Look at that as like, okay, I’ve done a minute. That’s all. Next time. I’ll try and do more on you know, next time I’ll try and do better even if I still do it for a minute. I’ll hold my knees straight or whatever. You know what I mean? Every small step is an achievement.
You know, Some people try. There’s this quote I’ve seen and stuff like that about oh, you know, always look for don’t look at the past, but I think in my situation and yours as well. And many people that are listening, it’s okay to look at the past because sometimes I just for example, I saw someone who had some sort of ailment like physically who was doing a big challenge, like a code or something, I can’t remember what it was.
And he was just being really hard on himself. And there was a lesson that he learned sort of halfway through he said, Look, it because he was going just how much more difficult to go, how to have a bet to go. But then he sort of said, I’ve got to look back and look at that how much I’ve achieved already. You know, yeah. And that’s, that’s the same with any day-to-day activity, whether it’s someone that’s listening who’s going through a stroke now or someone that’s listening, it’s not even a physical thing, but goals in life. You know, it’s you know, wanting to achieve a particular goal in work or play. Just Don’t think it’s bad to look back.
Donna Campisi 34:01
Yeah, I agree.
Donna Campisi 34:02
And, you know, like, when I think about now to the doctor saying to my parents when I was seven, that donor will go home, but she won’t be walking or talking. I think that’s just pretty awesome. Yeah.
Bill 34:20
No, you can’t stop you from talking. But that’s a good thing. That’s a good thing. No, it’s a lovely thing. Now being a bit silly. So, I want to just tell people that Kota people that are listening who are not Aziz, that Kokoda is a place where a lot of Australian people go to reenact what it was that some of the soldiers in the second world war were put through when they were taken hostage by the Japanese. And it’s really long I think it’s a three-day trick or something in the
Donna Campisi 34:55
entire law. How you do it. Okay.
Donna Campisi 35:00
Five Ks or something like that.
Bill 35:01
Okay. 95 K’s in the most hostile jungle conditions in New Guinea, Papua New Guinea. That’s right. Yeah. So it’s kind of like a coming of age challenge where a lot of people go to experience what you know other people went through to give us freedom, but also
Bill 35:21
to get over the bullshit stories that we tell ourselves about why nothing you know or something is impossible and affects people in a really positive light. So that’s what a coder is now. I don’t think I’m ready to do a trip like a coder but what I went and did recently was the 1000 steps. Did you know which is the Dakota the mini Kokoda memorial in Melbourne and you climb up the thousand steps up top to one of the mountains here in Melbourne? I forget even it’s in Fincher Galley and
Donna Campisi 35:55
Montana,
Bill 35:56
something like that some of their Fincher galleys are somewhat like this. It’s easy to find, if you type 1000 steps Melbourne, you’ll find it. So what it was was. The interesting thing for me is, is that when people look at me, they can tell that I’ve had any issues with my body whatsoever, or my brain or anything. So it’s very difficult sometimes when I’m not feeling well, and the balance is a problem. And for me to say, hey, I need to sit down and play, and I look normal, but can you give me your seat or whatever, especially on a train, and what happens is for me, when I get tired, I get tired.
And it’s kind of like, the leg stops operating, but after only a certain point of time, it starts to drag or not drag. Totally, it just starts to lift a little bit less, and then I’m likely to trip or I’m likely to, you know, just not walk correctly unlikely to sort of lean over and stumble. And that’s what I noticed as I was walking Walking up the steps, you know, getting closer to the 1,000th step. It’s kind of like now I need to again pay attention closely to where my foot is landing so it doesn’t land on the wrong part of the step. I don’t roll an ankle and don’t injure myself. Yeah. How common are injuries to people who are recovering from a stroke that have got foot jobs, I’ve got the challenges similar to what you’ve got.
Donna Campisi 37:29
In the beginning,
Donna Campisi 37:31
I know what you mean because I’ve done 1000 steps too, and I did have a few stumbles. But how common are injuries are you talking about? Ask the question again,
Bill 37:41
in your experience, like how come and injuries to you when you’re getting back on your feet and trying to sort of start to be independent and walk on your own without a cane or
Donna Campisi 37:57
Look, I don’t know about the injuries back then because it was a long time. But just even growing up, I’ve, I’ve broken one arm once and the other arms twice fractured the especially like fractured the wrist and all that sort of thing because when I fall like most people fall and protect themselves with their head, this span just goes crunch I’ve got you probably can’t see it but I’ve got so many scars that are just you know, they’re the same, you know, one on top of the other on my hand for that reason.
And I think it’s my left knee that cops that is I sort of land in the same position so and it is from foot drop and it is just from just you know when concrete is uneven and it can just only be that much and I just like you’re saying with the 1000 steps and this is just flat ground, but I can be walking along and just got to be really conscious, especially when I’m not wearing My brace because I wear my brace for running especially, which is great, but some shoes that I’ve got like dressy shoes I don’t wear the brace because it just doesn’t fit in and yeah, so I’ve got a like you and like in a lot of people that are listening really focus on where am I walking? How am I stepping even now? Like, it’s like 30 Ah, it’s gonna be maybe more or next. What is it? 30 or something like that. I kind of think 30-something years anyway, my God, nearly 40 probably Yeah, I think next year, it’ll be 40 years
Bill 39:37
to do the math. Do the math.
Donna Campisi 39:44
Anyway, what I’m trying to say. Like we’re talking before, about progression and stuff like that and being so-called cute. You may never get to that stage. Whatever your Goal acuities that’s great. But there are still things for us to be wary of and to just focus on harder.
Bill 40:09
All right, so not cured, then I like to say this, I like to say this because that is a really messy thing, right? Like, I don’t know, I don’t know if I use that word, but I know what you’re saying.
Donna Campisi 40:19
Yeah, that.
Bill 40:21
For me, what it is, is, despite my new logical challenges, my left side issues, my arm and, my leg, the numbness, and the fact that my left side is called other than my right side. The fact that I don’t feel as much on that side as I do on this side. Despite all of that I’m healthier now than I’ve ever been. Can we at least talk about that, you know, do you see yourself as being like, really well, in your health, despite all of the stuff that we’ve got to take into consideration
Donna Campisi 41:01
That’s a good question because after running, I think I am I need to start, I only started to learn to run at the end of 2012. And I remember saying when I was training for the math on, I haven’t had a code I haven’t had this I haven’t had that because of the exercise I think I have been, I have got things and I’ve had sort of a double whammy at 14 years of age I developed diabetes type one.
So when you get the cold or something like that, or infections of some sort, it takes longer to take they say take twice the time to heal and whatever. So that’s another challenge in itself but I think things running I’m just doing regular exercise, not everyone wants to run and whatever but if you want to, and I back then I was really eating well I you know, I’m not a perfect diet. I think, yeah, just getting into a routine as well with exercise. Like I said, I’m not telling you to run but whatever thing you like to do, it gets you in a great state of mind as well.
Bill 42:13
Yeah, exercise is really important. When you talk about neuroplasticity, brain healing and brain recovering is amazing amounts of information out there about how exercise can do that. And I really encourage exercise that doesn’t have to be running a marathon. But it can be lifting light weights and I’m not talking about at the gym, you can just do it at home, you know, with whatever you can manage to hold or strapped to your arm if you can’t hold it, or your legs or wherever. So, that’s really, really important. You’ve got Leg Drop, you walk with a limp, and you decided after I don’t know how many years I’m not doing any exercise, you decided you’re going to run a marathon. Come on, what’s all that about?
Donna Campisi 42:55
Thank you die. After not doing exercise. I was always a walker. And I went to the gym quite regularly. But yeah, the marathon was a challenge because someone asked me a few years ago, a few years before 2012, I was working with her actually. And she said I noticed she was just looking at me funny Am I looking at? And she just said that she knew that I had a stroke.
And she said, Donna, what is it that you can’t do since you had the stroke? And I actually thought it was an interesting question. And that’s when I came up with running. And I decided to do it one night. And yeah, it was a struggle. I was humbling. Like I am still humble but really humbling and tried it a few times and made it to 30 steps. And that’s just when I decided and I thought I need help. And that’s when I went out and got help from
Bill 43:46
it helpful work
Donna Campisi 43:49
to learn to run again. Oh, you
Bill 43:50
wanted to learn how to run again? That question was enough to get you going. Hey, yeah, nice to run again.
Donna Campisi 43:58
Yeah, because I always used to was like I said before, I was walking along our page and it’s just this one particular night it was when I say my it was daylight savings. So it was a great night. I was just noticing more runners that might get this running thing a go. But then the voices started in your head. Everyone gets these voices in the head practice me. And it was a voice going, Donna, what if you fall on the other voice was saying, we’ve done that plenty of times before.
Donna Campisi 44:28
I agreed with this one. I just went, yeah, I’m gonna give this a go. Because I was by myself. I didn’t have anyone with me. Now I was gonna catch me. It was a concrete path.
Donna Campisi 44:38
And I was really excited because I didn’t fall and I was improving each time. Like what you were telling, talking about a minute, I started at 20 steps and then thought, try again. 24 Wow, try again. 25 and then got to 30 and it was just like baby steps as small bits of improvement. And I thought, well, if I can improve in that, just that one little step. And surely someone can coach me or train me or you know, just I needed that kind of, I don’t know just to know how to run properly. You know how you’re talking about walking, you take it for granted and women, you’re learning again. You kind of got to really concentrate.
Bill 45:19
Yeah, it was interesting. When I was in rehab, one of the guys asked me what are some of the things that I want to be able to do again, and one of the things was running but it wasn’t for a marathon forgetting that might not for me, it was a to run across the road to make sure that I get away out of the road so that I’m not in the middle of the road when cars are coming past. I don’t end up you know, being a target or whatever, like do not I mean, so he said to me, okay, why do you think you can’t run us because it feels like I’m, I’m running like a chicken, you know, my legs, not landing properly. My knees buckling, you know, there’s all this weird stuff going on.
And it goes right. Why don’t we come outside and you do a run for me and not tell you how you’re going? So he didn’t record it. But he, he said to me, Well, it doesn’t look that bad to me. Because you know, you’re doing this with your left foot a little bit, and you’re overcompensating with this and you’re doing that. So let’s give it another go. And now be aware of the things that I mentioned. That’s exactly what I did.
And we went the other way, probably to that rehab. That was out of the hospital. That was six months after I was released from the hospital. I went to that for about three months. And in the three months, we went from me being completely uncomfortable with running to now being completely comfortable with running, but still not doing a lot of running. Because I’m just not up for but that was it. It was what you said it was. I needed somebody to just look and go. Yeah, hey, you actually, you’re doing good. You’re doing all right. Yeah, give us a bit of confidence. Yeah. Is that what it was like for you as well?
Donna Campisi 46:55
Yeah, it was but it was also being told like Shawn and Chris are both from business boosters running. They’re called
Bill 47:08
give him a plug for the
Donna Campisi 47:11
first is running calm, they’re awesome. But actually Shawn coaches with the physical side of things, he’s a musculoskeletal therapist or running coach. So he really knows the body. And they’re both runners and Chris is awesome. He coaches more with the nutrition side of things, what to eat, what to fuel your body with, you know, that sort of stuff. So they’re an awesome team. But Shawn was really showing me in the beginning when I did my first training with them.
Simple things again to do, just like he was pointing out my hips and not so aligned. I mean, this happened when I was seven years old. So I was also now a heel lift on my shoots two centimeters, so I’m two centimeters out. So that was like something just to stand on one leg, raise the other and make sure so I had to look in the mirror, make sure my hips every time I lifted one leg, make sure my hips were straight. Because, you know, when you’re running, you’re always on one leg, and my hips weren’t straight.
So he was trying to get me to strengthen in that area, basic things like that, that I hadn’t even thought about like you’re talking about your guy pointing out. So that was really just valuable in knowing that sort of stuff and being able to concentrate on that for the stuff. I’m not saying I’m brilliant at it.
Now already, but it’s something to think about how to hold your arms, all of that sort of stuff, taking the stress out of your shoulders, and, you know, you know, the stuff that we have to think about, you know, but yeah, I didn’t plan to do a marathon, to begin with. I just spoke to Shawn and said, told him about a bit a little bit about me and said, Hey, do you think you can coach me to run Do you think it’d be possible That I could do a 4k run? That’s all I wanted to do. That turned into
Bill 49:06
what did you say? I had this dude from Ghana to 4k. Is it a 40? k is a marathon a 40? Ks.
Donna Campisi 49:14
It’s 42.2 to be exact. Oh my god.
Bill 49:16
How did they convince you to do that?
Donna Campisi 49:19
I told him about
Donna Campisi 49:23
it. I told him a little bit about what I’ve told you already, but not too long. But I also told him how I wanted to use my story to inspire others. And I told him that I was writing a book. And, and I told him that I really wanted to help raise funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne which helped me more than once and saved my life. Even with the diabetes, I ended up back there.
And he said to me, Donner, if you want to do something big and create an impact, you should run a marathon and I’m on the phone like you don’t even see me run over Walk. I haven’t seen this guy I’d met Chris in person, but not Sean. And I was thinking to myself, I wasn’t crazy. But I did like his enthusiasm. And I remembered these words. And I really for everyone that’s listening, I’d really love you to remember these.
And this is what helped me through the tough times as well. This goes for any goal, not just a marathon, but he said, done it, anyone can run a marathon. It’s all to do with your mindset. And I’ve heard that before and other goals that achieved other stuff in my life. But I thought friggin marathon but that and I just said, After that, I said, Look, let me think about it. And we met up in a cafe I was trying to get Kristin, you know, to meet up as well, but the three of us we just couldn’t get back together.
And then I chatted to him more at the cafe when we met and I still was unsure I wasn’t, you know, I just wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t like that. Where I thought I did have some doubts and concerns. And my concern was, I said about injuries. Basically, I said to him, I put a lot of work in this body and you have to, you know, that bill when you put so much work in your body, and I said, I don’t want to go backward. I don’t want to end up in a wheelchair again, which I know is a bit of an exaggeration.
But I was trying to get my point across to him and he said, Look, Donna, you gotta feel pain. Everyone that runs a marathon. You’re gonna be I’ll coach you, right? You’re all you know, we’re gonna hold your hand so to speak. And we’ll get you over the line, you know? Yeah, I was just really, I think it’s enthusiasm and his experience. And the same with Chris.
Bill 51:46
Sounds like they were very gentle as well. And warm and encouraging and loving sounds like the one more than just come on, get out there. Keep running. You know, it doesn’t sound like that with that kind of coach. I
Unknown Speaker 52:02
was gonna watch this.
Donna Campisi 52:04
There were times when he was tough, but I needed that.
Bill 52:07
He’s okay, but I’m not talking crazy.
Bill 52:15
I remember going I remember going I remember getting onto a bike for the first time after a stroke. That’s interesting because balance and all that kind of stuff, right? And in order to kind of encourage myself to do it, I interviewed Carol Cook who is an amazing multiple gold Paralympic gold medalist. Like I don’t know how many of us she does. She has that many medals. She looks like she looks like iced tea or vanilla iced water. No, you know those wrappers with all the gold.
Bill 52:47
And Carol Carol,
Donna Campisi 52:48
why’d that interview? It was awesome. Yeah, she’s amazing. She’s a friend of mine too now. So she’s right. I love it.
Bill 52:55
Awesome. Carol has multiple sclerosis. rides a bike, and she rides a Three Wheeler. So a trike, obviously, because she’s and all that kind of stuff. And that occurred to me that that could be a good solution for me and other people recovering from stroke racing to me because when I was getting back on my bike, my leg would slip off the pedal.
Donna Campisi 53:22
I was gonna ask you that and then
Bill 53:26
get off my shin shit, and it would kill right. And then what would happen was I’d have to look at my foot to get myself to that point where I knew where my foot was on the pedal so wouldn’t fall off again and then you can’t ride a bike looking down. You need to be concentrating on where you’re going right, it’s an issue. Yeah. And as my foot would get more and more tired, same with walking up to thousand steps, you know, as the brain gets tired and the fatigue kicks in for stages. On the pedal less than less, and it’s a big issue. So I got a stirrup to protect my foot right to keep it on the pedal. And that was a really good
Donna Campisi 54:11
The shape did that. Yeah. Okay. Did you have to have that around your ankle as well, just because that’s what I that stayed on? Yeah, so
Bill 54:21
My feet are on the pedal. The stirrup is just on the front where the towser and it just stops the foot from falling off, either forward, or sideways. That’s a great thing, right? Except when you stop the bike, and you’re used to putting your left foot on the ground, and you forget that it’s in syrup.
Unknown Speaker 54:40
And you go to put your
Donna Campisi 54:41
feet down actually take this foot out of this dirt once you stop. Oh,
Bill 54:46
yeah, but you got to move your foot back and then put your foot down. I just took my foot and tried to take it on the ground directly and fell over. Okay.
Bill 54:58
Yeah, just elbowed you to scratch that kind of stuff in the middle of the same ad writing and there’s this sign that says construction ready to hit work ahead dismount your bikes. So I went to do that because going fast enough and that I couldn’t stop very quickly and it just didn’t occur to me that my foot was in the stirrup so I went to get down and I just bang I slid along the ground that the guy kept running over again to me. Hey, you’re right, man. Yeah, that’s all good. No worries. brush it off, got back up walk through the rest of the way because I was too
Donna Campisi 55:34
nice to try. That’s good. Have you tried it again since then? Are you just like
Donna Campisi 55:40
yeah, cuz I’ve spoken to Carol about this and she’s trying to talk me into you know, doing that doing what she’s doing. But I haven’t yet the thing with me is also balance. I’m my balance is crap. If any other words and that’s what you know, getting on a two-wheeler with my training wheels. And then when she said she used a Three Wheeler, I thought, Oh, that sounds awesome. But I’ll tell you what my issue is like putting the foot that was when I’ve used exercise bikes at the gym.
And it just always slipped off. So the trainers, you know, tried to tighten the thing that they’ve gotten there and everything. But once that was fixed, my main lanes in so it hits the actual frame, the middle, you know, the frame of the bike. I just like Think, Do I get a cushion in between? And make me pad I don’t know. And that became frustrating for me. So, yeah, there’s one thing and there’s another and you know,
Bill 56:44
we’ve got to be so creative. You know, people have to come up with really creative ways to solve their problems, and I can say why people would think stuff it but what I love about you is, even though you were told to run a marathon Even though you knew was going to be hard, painful, you might trip and fall. You still ran a marathon. Tell me which marathon Did you run?
Donna Campisi 57:07
It was a 2013 Melbourne marathon. Yeah.
Bill 57:11
Wow.
Unknown Speaker 57:12
That was a horrible day.
Donna Campisi 57:16
Yeah, rain. It was really super windy. I held at one stage. I just thought, oh my god, everything that can go wrong.
Donna Campisi 57:25
I mean, it was good. I mean, I
Donna Campisi 57:29
Yeah, true. It’s, I mean, if you haven’t too hot, you don’t want to run a marathon either. But, um, I just had so much support along the way as well. It was just awesome. It didn’t it didn’t matter if it rained or hailed or whatever, because it’s not like you can change an event. You know, just like keep going, just do it. Whatever. Things are not gonna always go your way. But I tell people with any goal
Bill 57:52
and what were you hearing in the background run down a run I
Donna Campisi 58:00
By the voices in my head, you may know
Bill 58:02
where they going get out. Don’t get out don’t go home.
Donna Campisi 58:06
Hey, no I’m never I never thought of giving up and going home that day. I just kept going there were too many reasons why for me to keep going.
Bill 58:18
So run down a run is your catch cry though. Now you use that. That’s your branding, right?
Donna Campisi 58:22
Yeah, yeah, it started as the campaign name and now it’s my business name. I just stuck with it. Even though I’m a bit like Well, everyone thinks I just run all the time. Now. I’m trying to hike Dakota. So I’m not always about running but everyone sort of said look what people know us. Doesn’t.
Bill 58:43
doesn’t roll off the tongue. Are you wearing your T-shirt at the moment?
Bill 58:55
I love that. Yeah. Wait, wait, can people get those things off?
Donna Campisi 58:59
My website and I actually started with the T-shirts. And there’s another quote that I really love I just came up with myself one day when I was going through a challenging time the power is in me. And that’s when I just decided, Look, you’ve got choices to make, you can sit on the sidelines, or you can just go for it. That’s the choices that we all have.
So I love that quote, and I do the pairs in May as well. But everyone after the T-shirts, we’re done because I’ve had these out since 2013. People women were saying, especially you’re gonna do tank tops as well. You know, we’d love some tank tops. So I’ve done different tops. If you go on to random around Comdata. You you’ll see there’s a range of tops and they all sort of have quotes on it to keep you motivated. So that’s what I love about them.
Bill 59:48
Yeah, they’re pretty cool, trendy. I like the way that you’ve used the colors and they really stand out. They’re amazing. They’re really cool. So a little while after you
Bill 1:00:00
Did the marathon. The book happened?
Unknown Speaker 1:00:03
Yeah, yeah. Oh, you have a
Donna Campisi 1:00:08
thank you. Thank you. There you go. That looks good. We can see it.
Bill 1:00:15
Now that looks like a pretty it’s a great book, actually, it’s a very easy read. It is, for people who
Bill 1:00:26
have got eyesight issues, you know, there’s it’s nice, big text.
Bill 1:00:34
All right. And it actually is an amazing sort of wait for you to tell a story about like how you’ve come from the challenges that you’ve experienced, what it was that motivated you to run and how was it you eventually overcame all of the challenges so that running a marathon wasn’t going to be something that you ever gave up on.
Bill 1:00:58
I love the chapters in it. There’s one particularly that I like because I talk about this all the time as well. He’s winning a language. Hmm, tell me about winning language, what is winning language to you?
Donna Campisi 1:01:14
I talk about it as well when I do talks, and I do this with students as well. But you know, adults, whatever talk I’m doing is I say to people, be your best friend and they like to look at me and go work. And it’s an example is Elon is an example of when I was really struggling at first with the running and training, and I ran, walk, run, walk, and just sometimes just really tired and just go, yeah, just beat myself up. You know, stop, don’t get, you know, get back to her.
You’re being hopeless. You’re being ridiculous, blah, blah, blah, all that language that is so commonly used by ourselves. So I changed my way of thinking. I think it was my Coach that actually advised me to do this and it was the best. Yeah. Good advice. That’s it. And it was like, talk to yourself like you talk to your best friend. Like if someone was running beside me, my best friend say, and she was running beside me.
And she said are done. I’ve got to slow down for a minute. I’ve got to walk. You normally. Are you okay? I’m gonna go Yeah, yeah, just want to walk for a minute. And then you just go Okay, so you’ve been really doing well, so far, let’s walk, and then when is the least we’re moving forward, all of that sort of stuff, you would talk like that, you know, and just praise and whatever else you would give your best friend, whereas we tend to be just really hard on ourselves.
So that’s an example of the winning language. And also, I use, I think, also when someone asks you something, too, like, Can you do this? Like, you know, or can you run you either say Yes or no? But then I if you ask the question, how can you run? What do you kind of think about? How could I possibly run? Maybe a coach? Maybe I could just start with jogging? Or maybe I could do this and maybe look into that? Do you know I mean, like, it’s even, let’s not just use a running example of anything like a life coach, you know, your coach, how can I possibly afford to see a coach?
Or, and then you think about it. Maybe I could do a payment plan. Maybe I could, you know, save more not getting a cup, many coffees and that sort of thing. Or if you could just ask someone, can you afford a coach? Oh, yes, I just you to know that when we’re done so, but just think about it. So, I always just sort of think about, you know, winning language has been also encouraging each other but yourself and praising. Like, instead of our thing. I don’t know. Just negative stuff. Yeah. So I think people Yeah, what did you get out of it? What
Donna Campisi 1:04:08
was your thing?
Bill 1:04:09
Look winning language for me is the big thing because I, I tell this story where I’ve noticed language when I was in rehab. So if people have been listening to all the episodes of the podcast, I’ve, I’ve said this a number of times, but it’s stuck with me. So when I’m in rehab, doing arm rehab, I’ve got my arm stuck in a rice box, a box full of rice, and I’ve got to find these little trinkets or marbles, or PIN lids, and I’ve got to identify what they are before I take that take it out.
So what the rice does is over stimulates all the sensory neurons. And somehow to retrain my brain to find items and identify them without looking at them. We’ve got to do this task and there’s about 12 things in it and I’ve got my hand and I’m so sticking my hand in this rice and I’m digging around for these things, and across me is a guy who I think his name was Ivan. And Ivan had also experienced a stroke, he was in a wheelchair, motorized one.
And his task was to pick up an empty toilet roll and just move from one side of his body to the other and place it down. And I think it was with his right arm. And he had the problem of ironing and closing his arm. And he also had the coordination issue and he also had to, you know, put it down, which was again, a bit rough because his hand was moving too quickly or too slowly. And he was getting frustrated and he was just calling his hand a bastard.
And, right, you know what that means, and I know what that means, but he didn’t realize what he was doing. So I’m being a coach, right? And somebody had a business in the past that still has a business and noticed people talk in ways that are not beneficial to me or to the outcome or to the goal that we need to achieve. I had my hand in the box, Ivan, tell me if your hand moved, what would it be? Because you’d be my friend.
I said, Well, if it’s gonna be your friend Why don’t you just call your friend now pretend that it has moved and just see what happens you know? And he was keen to please you know he didn’t really mind me interrupting his you know if it to move his arm and he goes, All right, come on friend move. So if you’re listening now, or watching this on YouTube, do that yourself in a moment, you know, pause and call your hand about it.
And notice how your body changes and what you feel inside, how your heartbeat changes, how your thoughts in your mind change how your gut changes, the tightening or you know, clenching or whatever of the gut. Call your hand a bastard and then she Changes the words and calls your hand a friend, and then see what happens to the change and why shifts and how you feel. So he did that. And he’s picked up what he couldn’t pick up previously, like minutes ago, a second ago, his grip that is turned, put it over, just put it down and it stood up.
And his eyes lit up and the room went mental, like all the people around, were cheering for him and all that. And he realized, for the very first time that that word bastard was in the way between him getting results. Yeah, and I don’t know what happened to him afterward or how far he’s come. But I’ve got a feeling that his recovery would have turned the corner at that time because now his leg is also not a bastard now that he’s learning how to walk again. His knees are not a bastard anymore. his hip won’t be a bastard. There’ll be no bastards in his body. They’re just friends.
Donna Campisi 1:07:54
Yeah, yeah. It’s similar to what I was saying. Yes. Right.
Bill 1:07:59
So When I went through the book and read the book, that’s the chapter that I got stuck on, because I don’t often hear a lot of people talking about winning the language when they’re going through something rough or something tough. Yeah, talk to them. I hear them talking about all the crap language and you know, and they’re not aware of it. And Ivan was not a bad guy. And his intention wasn’t to learn how to do this. His intention was but he just didn’t. He wasn’t consciously aware of how he was getting in his own way.
Donna Campisi 1:08:32
Yeah, I love it. I’ve got an example of that time.
Bill 1:08:36
We have. Yeah, we’re coming to the end. But we have got
Donna Campisi 1:08:41
I’ve got an example of when I used to, and this was only a few years ago, it was before the marathon get up and talk in front of an audience. My hand would kind of just automatically I don’t know if it was a nervous thing or what just kind of clenching and moving up because I used to move up That’s all the time but I’m always wary of putting it down. But I don’t know, I just got this nervous sort of thing. And I said to a man who was my coach once and I said to him, I told him about that and I said, I don’t know what it is.
And I’d always try and pull it down and just try and make it not obvious and trying to get it about. And he just grabbed my hand and he just held it and was rubbing it and just said, done. I just love it. Just love it. But the time I’m going what, but now I when I thought about it more, I thought yeah, what I was doing was trying to hide it and you know, and I would do that, like you’re saying before school probably at high school, even with my leg brace that I wear now and have been wearing probably since just in my 30s that really helps me. I always like it on a really ridiculously hot day Bill.
You won’t believe this. I would go to the gym. wear long leggings or tracksuit pants to hide it. You only mean now I can’t believe I go on, you know social media the whole world everything has seen me with this leg brace the cover of your book. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Because it was I remember the first time I actually wore three-quarter pants and went for a walk I was with my partner at the time and I said to him oh my god thinking the whole world was looking at me going oh my goodness, you know, it was all about me. Just wasn’t and I just had to really get out of my head all that stuff like that. Everyone’s looking at that sort of stuff.
Bill 1:10:41
No gives a crap. Exactly too busy being on their phones or you know, trying to get to work or catch a tram or most of them. Thank you for crap.
Donna Campisi 1:10:50
Yeah, and that’s what I really want to say to people who are listening and who are going through a similar thing. Like, just get over yourself. I know that sounds really harsh, but I’m saying this out of love. Get over yourself because it’s like your friend in the house. Ivan was at least a name. Like once he got over that. And actually, it was kind to his body as well and that sort of thing. Yeah, it was, and the reaction of everyone cheering him and stuff must have been a bus for him as well. Yeah, that’s what I talked about in the book about celebrating the journey as well. Make sure you celebrate every step and just be happy with having fun while you’re going through these steps.
Bill 1:11:32
Yeah, cool. You know what just occurred to me if anyone’s listening and they are involved in making calipers or braces or that kind of stuff. Make them a bit sexier. Yeah, you know, make them look like a tattoo or something or something that people can look at and go, hey, that’s interesting. I love the way that looks.
Donna Campisi 1:11:51
I’ve seen them colored and all that sort of stuff that I decided just to go plane. And Mica the guy that does it for me is Darren Pierre, is that how you pronounce his name? He’s also I love him. And he does stuff for the Paralympians like he’s in Melbourne. He’s based in Melbourne, and he does some great stuff. And I love my brace now, like, even when I got the heel lift, I was so embarrassed about my heel, lift on my shoe, and the brace and then try to hide it and all that sort of stuff.
I show people now I’ve seen people in the community that will ask about it that actually made it themselves on most one. And I’ll pass on Darren’s name and number to them because it’s on my phone. And it’s actually helping other people and that’s what I’m using my story that like anything is if it helps someone and that’s what’s in my books about as well. It’s, it’s a tool.
Bill 1:12:45
It’s a tool. So like runners, people who run marathons, who are able-bodied, completely able-bodied. They use the best shoes that they can get. Yeah, if your heel drops one foot longer than the other Well, you need to get the right tools to support you To get the right results that you need. So, nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s just a tool that’s specifically unique for you. And we’re lucky because we live in a world now where these tools are available and people can make them for us. And, you know, it can help us so we, I could talk to you forever about this topic, or we could continue and continue. Maybe we need to do a second episode rather than just go for 15 hours.
Donna Campisi 1:13:26
Oh, thank you everyone for listening. But can I just quickly, Yo, this is gonna sound funny. You’re, you’re a tool like you’re one of those tools, Phil.
Bill 1:13:37
times that I’m at all. Yes. Thank you for reminding me.
Donna Campisi 1:13:43
You’re totally in a positive way. Like people like what you’re doing and people listening to you. And that sort of thing is a tool in itself because you’re telling people your experience, but also interviewing people that you know, what are they doing and helping other people that that is a tool in itself.
Bill 1:14:02
Yeah, thank you. Thank you. That’s why I tell people at the end of every episode to shine the tool on the tool I will from now on I’m at all use guys share the episode with somebody who might like, yeah, like it on Facebook, give us a five-star review on the iTunes channel, you can go get to the iTunes channel from going to www dot the transit lounge podcast.com and then clicking the link at the top of the page which says subscriber iTunes.
If you click there, it doesn’t subscribe automatically, but it will take you to my page where you can give me a review and subscribe if you like. Yeah. So give us a thumbs up and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Every time you leave a comment somewhere on one of my pages. What will happen is Google will see that as being useful content and we’ll rank it higher and we’ll get it to people that need to hear this people who are recovering from stroke carers of people who have had a stroke or another neurological condition.
And the whole purpose of this podcast is to get it out there so that we can debunk all the myths about what’s going on when people experience a stroke or another neurological condition. So I would love it. If you do that. Donna, where can people give us all of your websites? Where can people go to find you? I will have links in the comments of the YouTube channel and on the podcast page to Brewster’s running.com. That I you was that right?
Donna Campisi 1:15:33
Yeah. That’s my coaches. Yeah. Brewster’s running Calm, calm,
Bill 1:15:37
calm.
Donna Campisi 1:15:38
Yeah. Mine is like you can say, my talks, my coaching and my book, everything on I’ve got a workshop coming up too, which is awesome. on random iran.com.au. And yeah, you can Yeah, I think everything from a really I do have another website for the book. It’s the Analyze marathoner.com but the book is fun rundown or run anyway. Alright, so go just I would head straight to Rand on a run.com.au.
Donna Campisi 1:16:09
Thank you. Thank you. I love you putting it out.
Donna Campisi 1:16:14
It is a good book and an easy race. That’s what I want to tell people. I’ve actually even given it to my nephew. He’s 14 years of age and kids can even I’ve had someone Yeah, I charted out she’s maybe she’s 11 or something. It’s giving me great feedback. She’s a runner, so she really got into it. And so anyone can read it. As you know, it’s an easy read. And that’s what I wanted to make it.
Bill 1:16:38
Yeah. Awesome. You’ve done that you’ve done an amazing job of inspiring people. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. I truly appreciate it. And I look forward to continuing our awesome friendship and so many good things have come out of this strike for me. So meeting you and a whole bunch of other amazing people has made my stroke journey a lot better. So thank you for being so generous with your time as well.
Donna Campisi 1:17:02
Oh special. Thank you so much, Bill. It’s been great. And I hope this has helped somebody out there.
Unknown Speaker 1:17:07
I’m sure it has. Thanks, Donna.
Donna Campisi 1:17:09
Okay, bye for now.
Bill 1:17:12
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Bill 1:18:08
to check them.
Intro 1:18:11
This has been a production of the https://recoveryafterstroke.com/ Check out our page on Facebook and start a conversation by leaving a comment https://www.instagram.com/recoveryafterstroke/ Subscribe to the show on iTunes and check us out on Twitter. The presenters and special guests of this podcast intend to provide accurate and helpful information to their listeners.
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