A Marathon, Not a Sprint

In 2023, Walter Gahagan went to the hospital for a routine, outpatient ablation procedure. But unexpected complications resulted in a need for emergency open-heart surgery, an estimated 10 minutes of oxygen deprivation to his brain, and multiple strokes, leaving the husband and father of three with an anoxic brain injury.

“He was in a coma when he first came out of surgery. It took a few days for him to regularly open his eyes. He couldn’t speak, and didn’t really engage with us for about a month,” recalled his daughter, Lili Gahagan.

The Gahagans had to rapidly adjust to a new reality – one where they became full-time caregivers to Walter.

“We had no familiarity with brain injury, no firsthand knowledge of what that care looked like,” Lili said.

Walter spent a month in intensive care as he gradually regained consciousness, then four months in a brain injury unit relearning basic movements and how to speak.

During that time, Lili – who had always been an active person – took up running as a way to cope. She ran her first half-marathon while still caring for her dad. After he passed away in September 2024, Lili wanted to find a way to honor him and his life, and signed up to run the Paris Marathon in April 2025.

As part of her participation in the marathon, Lili wanted to fundraise for an organization that supports and advocates for people with brain injury. In doing her research, she found the Brain Injury Association of America.

“One thing that drew me to BIAA was the scope of work that they were doing,” Lili said. “I was looking for a charity that supported caregivers, because that was such a part of my experience. And I felt really heartbroken not just for what my family was going through, but imagining other people going through this. I wanted to fund a charity that was focused on supporting caregivers as well as advocating for people with brain injury.”

Lili was impressed with the work BIAA does to bring awareness to brain injury, from advocating in Washington D.C. to providing resources and support to people reaching out for help. “It feels important to support BIAA, and to be able to support those in need. I think BIAA is one of the best charities in doing that – getting the resources and advocacy to people who need it the most,” she said.

Lili’s experience as a caregiver to her father gave her a deeper understanding of brain injury – that no two journeys look alike, and that there is no defined roadmap of what recovery and daily functioning looks like. “It really demands this open-heartedness and open-mindedness,” she said. “It takes a village to work with brain injury, to support people with brain injury. The more layers of support there can be, the better.”

She also acknowledged the need for caregivers to seek support for themselves. “You can’t keep these things to yourself, and it’s really crucial that caregivers are getting support,” she said. “Depending on the scope of the person’s brain injury, it can be a full-time job that takes an emotional toll. I’ve seen a lot of people take on a caregiver role really well, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Want to get early access to THE Challenge! magazine? Enter your name and email below, and we will send you a digital copy a week before it becomes available.