Marathon man runs race of a lifetime

Airman, Nov, 2004 by Gerald Sonnenberg

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- After collapsing on a tennis court in July 2003, what was first thought to be a case of heat exhaustion became a fight for life for Maj. Brian Kissinger.

The 35-year-old reservist was rushed to the emergency room where doctors discovered a tumor the size of a baseball.

Previous bouts with headaches and memory loss now made sense, and he revealed that a sister had died of a brain tumor as a young child before he was born. Barely a month into his new assignment as an Air Mobility Command Reserve liaison with the A-5 staff at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Major Kissinger had to face a life-threatening situation without the comfort of his family, still in Charleston, S.C.

Having just arrived, he had to tell his wife, Priscilla, and daughters Alexa, Gabby and Belle, about his illness over the phone.

"Like with any life-threatening illness, it was frightening," Major Kissinger said.

Having been healthy and athletic, he said he cried at the nearly overwhelming possibility of losing his life. A navigator, he was also saddened at the prospect of not being able to fly again.

Major Kissinger's tumor was thought to be a stage two, or slow growing, tumor. Once the surgery was complete, doctors decided the major needed an MRI scan every six months and low doses of chemotherapy.

"I'm in cycle 8 out of 24," he said. "Five days on [medication], 23 off. And every month they take a blood sample to make sure my white blood cell count is all right. If it's too low, it can indicate something is wrong."

Though Major Kissinger's hair has grown back and he shows no visible signs of negative effects to the chemo, he said there are days when he feels run down and can't work. However, he wouldn't let this interfere with his goal--running the Air Force marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

After several days of sitting in the hospital, he got the idea to run the Air Force Marathon and began a beginner's regimen for marathon running.

"This included a long run on Sunday, then two or three training runs during the week," said Major Kissinger, an experienced marathon runner. "And we had a couple of days cross-training in there, too. At 106 days out, we were doing 25 to 30 miles each week. That increased as we got closer."

A month out, he ran a 33-mile "ultra" marathon, which he said "took a toll on his knees."

He said exercise is good for anyone, but it also helped his state of mind --that and a growing team of runners assembled around Major Kissinger to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association.

On Sept. 15, less than three days before the event, he woke up in an ambulance after a chemical imbalance from medication sent his body into seizures. Two doctors said he could run, while two other doctors and his wife, Priscilla, said he shouldn't.

Having come that far, he couldn't quit. He made it to Wright-Patterson and the starting line wearing a "Brain Guy" T-shirt with the slogan "Exercise is Terminal Wellness." Signs held by people he didn't know said, "Go Brian Kissinger."

"After being released from the hospital on Thursday, my reasons for being there were reinforced," Major Kissinger said. "I know how lucky I am and how in a blink of an eye my condition can get worse."

He felt great during the race, but at 12 miles, the major's right knee gave out forcing him to hobble and limp his way toward the finish line with his daughter Gabby clapping by his side.

"There was no way I was going to give up," he said.

Almost a year to the day after his surgery, the major crossed the finish line with a six-hour run time--twice as long as his personal best. But more important was the fact that he finished and raised more than $2,000 for the American Brain Tumor Association in the process.

"My first marathon was a milestone," Major Kissinger said with a smile. "With my recovery, this is a milestone that says I'm almost completely healthy, even with the chemo. That makes it pretty special."

--Tech. Sgt. Gerald Sonnenberg 932nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs