079. Bonnie Gagnon - Still Smiling

Most of you probably know who Bonnie Gagnon is - An inspiring, adventure driven woman who seems to have a grin permanently installed on her face.

It took a while to connect with Bonnie after Jon Rudolf reached out to me suggesting we connect, but I finally found some time to sit down with her. In her case, lie down because she is bed ridden due to spinal fluid leaks she sustained during medical treatments received after striking her head off the trunk of her vehicle after a ride.

This isn’t Bonnie’s first rodeo when it comes to battling for her health, or in the case of her 2010 bacterial lung infection that spread through her body, her life. Lemierre’s Syndrome is a rare bacterial infection that moved from her lungs, settled into her lower back and began to liquify her insides. She survived and then proceeded to push her limits in races like the Leadville 100, the Arrowhead 135, the Tour Divide in 2016 and again in 2019.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Bonnie. You can catch another inspiring chat I did back on episode 27. Bonnie Gagnon - Keep On Smiling where we chat more about Lemierre’s Syndrome and her recovery.

“Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of who we are - in moments of discouragement, in doubt, in hurdles. I'm so grateful for all of the adventures and blessings in my life and I hope to add a few more!”

This quote summarizes her mind set. That despite all of her challenges, she preservers. To echo the mantra that many of us bikepackers use when pushing our limits in ultra endurance efforts, we keep moving forward. Life is the ultimate endurance race and through all the highs and lows, there’s no going back. We need to move forward.

I was sensitive to her condition so I wanted to keep this conversation short. Regardless, the dialogue overflows with Bonnie’s positivity, wisdom and inspiration.

In this episode, Bonnie gets us caught up on her battle with a major tear in her hamstring which sent her on a mission to find a better saddle. We cover the state of the world in regards to the global pandemic and planetary changes that are testing our adaptability. She shares her most recent journey after her head injury and the battle to find a cure and of course she shares her secrets to maintaining a positive mindset through it all.

I so enjoyed connecting with Bonnie again and, as always, I hope you enjoy this conversation and find some takeaways.