My name is Mycle Brandy. I have had 4 strokes and the medications given me to overcome that illness caused irreparable damage to my liver. Both maladies are untreatable. I had my first stroke in 1988. It left me deaf in one (1) ear and in considerable pain. The most damaging was to my career as a blues singer. My second stroke happened in 1997 and left me numb on the right side. I have had two (2) smaller ones since 1997. In spite of the stroke, in 1994 I graduated from Western State University, College of Law and received my Juris Doctorate. In 2005, I did something that would change my life forever. I signed up to do the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon for the American Stroke Assn's Train To End Stroke. Although I have to walk with the assistance of a cane, I have had the wonderful privilege of participating in 8 full Marathons and 5 half Marathons including the Long Beach Half Marathon on October 11, 2009. My most memorable Marathon was the Boston Marathon which I completed for Tedy's Team. Tedy Bruschi was a linebacker for the New England Patriots who had a stroke shortly after the Pro Bowl in 2005. I am now planning a new venture. I plan to “Walk Across America” for the American Heart Assn's new fundraising vehicle, "Start! Training". I plan to start on the west coast on my 59th Birthday, February 14, 2010, and arrive on the east coast on October 10, 2010. Since I am doing this for the Heart Assn I thought Valentine's Day would be apropos.

www.ocstarttraining.org/mycle