WEEKLY ROCKSTAR_TAMMY KELLY

I was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and lived there until I was 18. I moved to Colorado and met my husband and had a son. Two years later we moved to Kailua Kona, Hawaii. I was a smoker for about 15 years and drank occasionally with my husband. I quit smoking and started running to lose weight. I became a pretty good runner here in Hawaii. I eventually found my way into triathlon about 17 years ago. I have competed in many Olympic distance, 1/2 Ironman’s, and two Ironman Triathlon World Championships here in Hawaii. I did many 1/2 marathons, marathons, and 5K’s. About three years ago, my husband of 30 years and I started to have marital problems. We started drinking and drifted apart.

I left Hawaii on January 23, 2016 and relocated to the mainland, first in Idaho and eventually in Arizona where I began a 23 month drinking spree. In early August, 2016 I overdosed on sleeping pills and was pronounced dead twice.

After I got out of the hospital, I moved to Arizona were my mom, sister and son live. While riding my bicycle with a friend in Gilbert, Arizona on March 21, 2017, I was cut off by a car that turned left and did not see me. I was in ICU unconscious for two days. I woke up had have absolutely no recollection of the accident to this day. I have had a surgery, physical therapy, two teeth fixed, a fractured hip, fractured left hand and had six brain bleeds because of the accident. The lady left the scene and no one got her license plate number. I continued to drink myself to near death, until I saw Triumph's post on facebook. I looked up the site and decided to get back to the athlete I used to be.

It has given me tremendous hope that I can overcome this and I will be ok.

I have since quit drinking, joined a church and began to train seriously again.

I will always be grateful for that post and encouragement. Mahalo for being such a wonderful motivator.

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