[Applause]
when I'm running I completely shut my
mind off I'm in a very cathartic State
it's like an active meditation when I'm
putting all my energy into it I feel
like I'm on the top of the world my name
is Hannah Gavi US and I am a runner I've
been a runner since high school I was on
the LaGuardia high school track team
running is just a way of letting go and
just getting my mind off of anything
that bothers me
I am classified as an l-3 patient I was
diagnosed with a spinal cord injury I
have a fracture at C 12 and my bones
were completely shattered my accident
happened in September of 2016 after I
graduated I landed a job in Vietnam
teaching English I was on my way back to
my hotel but got a little bit lost I
asked for directions and the guy took me
up to a dark wooded area and attempted
to rape me I pushed my attacker away and
when he began following me I picked up
speed and that was the last time I ran
in over three years
according to various reports as I ran
away from him
I fell 150 feet off a cliff I was in the
air for almost a minute long enough to
have all these thoughts I already
committed to the idea that I wasn't
going to live when I was in Mount Sinai
Hospital I would walk around with my
walker with my crutches in Central Park
I saw runners doing the New York City
Marathon and I would just pay attention
to people's steps and how effortlessly
they would take those leaps I just
remember feeling bitter and jealous that
I wasn't able to do those things anymore
my dream was to one day run the marathon
and I felt like after my accident that
was completely taken from me I thought
the most important thing to do at that
very moment was focus on all the small
steps rather than the bigger picture
even though I can't move my ankles and
feet I have some function in my lower
body that allows me to walk and do all
the things I do today release anything
that doesn't serve you on your next
inhale reach the fingertips up in
addition to running I teach you yoga and
I practice yoga if I could learn
anything from my practice of doing yoga
is to keep breathing that helped me get
through this horrible experience and I
decided after my yoga teacher training
to sign up for Krav Maga lessons and
learn self-defense just in case I'm ever
in a similar situation again I'll know
how to protect myself
I love being faced with new challenges
every day because the more challenges I
face the stronger I feel as a person
running now is not so different from the
way it was before my accident I like to
call it crunching or going out for a
crutch it's just maybe looks a little
bit different but mentally it feels
exactly the same
[Music]
because I could still use my legs I've
decided to use my legs in the marathon
and I want to run in my own way but I
never really thought that it was
possible until my sister sent me a photo
of a woman named Amanda Sullivan who is
an amputee and she completed various
marathons with her crutches I thought
maybe that's something I can do as well
[Applause]
26.2 miles is such a long distance for
anybody you really have to have that
mental willpower in my case I'm out
there for over 11 hours most people you
know finished in 5 hours I have to tell
myself I'm going to get through this
everything's going to be okay I might be
hurting now but once I cross that finish
line I'm going to heal I can do anything
[Music]
I want people to know that no matter
what adversity that they're facing in
their lives they can just use that to
grow as a human being and maybe that
will steer them in a different direction
that they wouldn't have normally thought
of before my accident I was a very
active person but I almost feel like my
adversity exposed my character even more
no matter how much you've lost in your
life there's always gains and there's
always something that you're going to
grab from it if you want something so
badly you're going to find a way to
still bring it back into your life no
matter what
[Music]
you
[Music]