The Troy Turkey Trot is once again happening on this Thanksgiving morning. It started back in 1916. One inspiring woman is overcoming decades of medical issues to take on this tradition for the firs t time this year.
Marlee Eckert may be all smiles as she gears up to run her first 5K ever at this morning's Troy Turkey Trot, but for Marlee, running isn't always easy.
"They tested my genetics and found out that I have cystic fibrosis," said Eckert. As a baby, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder where the lungs and digestive system get clogged with mucus. For years, Marlee had to use a nebulizer and vest to do breathing treatments and chest physical therapy to clear that mucus. "A typical day was I would wake up, do an hour-long breathing treatment and chest therapy, go to school, come home, do it again and then I would do it once more before bed," said Eckert.
It got worse as she got older, landing her in the hospital several times. Then in 2020, she started taking a new pill called Trikafta, dubbed a "miracle" drug for those with CF. "It's just two pills in the morning and one pill at night, and ever since I’ve started taking those, I’ve had amazing gains in my lung function," said Eckert.
She went from having just 50% of her lung function to having 80%, and for the first time, she felt well enough to train for and run this morning's Troy Turkey Trot. "I'm really excited to actually run my first race."
Back in the day, she says a normal life expectancy for people with cystic fibrosis was only 30 years. But Marlee is 28 now and feeling the healthiest she's ever been. "I’ve always had dreaming when I’m sleeping of running and being chased and just being able to run and run and run and being totally fine. It’s really emotional to think about that I wasn’t really ever intended to live this life, and I’m doing it tenfold."
