ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - Master Sgt. Michele Smith, unit training manager for the Readiness Management Group here, conducts strength-training with weights in an effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Smith was diagnosed with two cerebral aneurysms last year after failing her fitness test. After surgery, Smith changed her fitness regimen and passed her PT test. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Megan Tomkins)
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - Master Sgt. Michele Smith, unit training manager at Readiness Management Group here, passed her fitness test through hard work and perservence. After the first test failure, doctors diagnosed Smith with two cerebral aneurysms, which likely caused her to fail the test. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Megan Tomkins)
by Staff Sgt. Megan Tomkins
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office
7/11/2012 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- It's been said fitness is a way of life, but one Air Force Reservist found both her fitness and her life in grave danger.
"2011 and 2012 have been an emotional as well as physical journey for me," said Master Sgt. Michele Smith, unit training manager for the Readiness Management Group at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
A journey that has tested both her courage and valiance.
In 2011, prior to failing her first fitness assessment test, Smith had been training with her sister for a half marathon when she first began to experience chest pains.
"There was no reason for me to have failed my first PT test," she said. "After I failed, I went to the hospital to get checked up. The doctors kept me there for four days trying to figure out what was causing my chest pains."
Finally, doctors diagnosed Smith with not one but two cerebral aneurysms, which they said likely caused her to fail the test.
Cerebral aneurysms are weak areas in the walls of blood vessels in the brain. These weak areas cause the vessels to bulge and, if ruptured, can result in permanent disability or even death.
Smith explained that the doctors located one of the potential time bombs in the middle of her brain and the second on the left side. The one on the side was small enough to not be considered a threat: However, the one in the middle of her brain was a different story.
She underwent surgery Oct. 20.
During the surgery, a neurosurgeon attempted to repair the aneurysm using a method known as coiling.
"The coils are tiny little wires that the neurosurgeon guides through a tube," Smith said. "They are inserted into the bubble until it is completely filled up and no blood can gather in it anymore."
The sergeant awoke from surgery to good news.
"The surgery went well, so I was told," she said. "I don't remember anything after I told my sisters I will see them when I wake up -- they were wheeling me to the operating room at this time."
"However, shortly after going to the recovery room, the recovery room nurse noticed that I could not talk or move my right side. I was having a stroke. They immediately took me back into surgery and broke up the clot in my brain that was causing the stroke."
Smith spent five days in intensive care and was on convalescent leave for nearly eight weeks recovering from her ordeal before she returned to work. The sergeant said she believes she wouldn't be here today without the prayers of her family, friends and co-workers.
"God gave me a new lease on life, so to speak," Smith said.
It wasn't until January that she was medically cleared to resume her exercise regimen. For the next month and a half, she went back to her normal routine and worked out at least three times a week to prepare for her next fitness assessment test.
"I was still scared that the coils might come out," Smith said. "But I felt very confident that I would pass."
Unfortunately, she would not reach her passing goal.
"In March, I felt like an utter failure," Smith lamented. "I failed my PT test for the second time. I felt defeated."
After her second failure, Smith took drastic measures to make sure she would succeed the third time around.
"My unit fitness program manager, Master Sgt. Michael Gonzales, and my supervisor, Capt. Michelle Coumbs, and the rest of the command section staff rallied behind me and kept encouraging me to not give up," Smith said. "I got in the fit-to-fight class at the Health and Wellness Center Monday through Friday and also started doing a boot camp class off base at least two to three times a week."
Gonzales took notice of how much Smith pushed herself to continue improving her physical fitness.
"Her greatest strength is her determination to succeed," Gonzales said. "Master Sgt. Smith is a great role model for others because she shows that despite the tough times we go through, whether it's medical, physical, career, emotional or personal, you have to stay positive and focused no matter what!"
"I consider Master Sgt. Smith's greatest strengths to be her perseverance and attitude," Coumbs said. "Extraordinary challenges do not defeat or fatigue her."
Smith said the extra encouragement she received from her wingmen and her determination to pass were the driving forces that kept her committed to her passing goal.
"With Master Sgt. Gonzales's help and encouragement, I stayed focused on what I ate and how often," Smith said. "It has been a long three months: Monday, Wednesday and Friday were run days and Tuesday and Thursday were strength-training days.
"Along with the boot camp classes, I was making sure I took in enough calories," she continued. "My age and metabolism were working against me. It felt like an uphill battle."
Soon enough, Smith again encountered the looming reality that it was time to take her third fitness assessment test. This time, she felt more prepared, even though she still had the memories of the past failures still with her.
"I was extremely nervous to say the least," Smith said. "The highest that I had ever scored on the test was an 89.5. Well, I did awesome; I got a 99.30! I maxed out everything except for my run."
With her outstanding also came a profound feeling of accomplishment.
"I felt elated, happy and overjoyed," Smith said. "I felt like I had overcome something that I didn't think or feel I could bounce back from. Without the support of family and friends and sheer determination, I would have given up and failed for a third time; it wasn't an option though."
Gonzales said Smith's success is a great example for other Airmen who have struggled with their fitness.
"Many fall short when faced with adversity," Gonzales said. "Master Sgt. Smith showed that if she can do it, anyone can do it."
Coumbs said she admires the determination Smith had to push through her failures and show others they can pass the fitness assessment test with constant hard work.
"(Her success) goes back to her decision to accept the hand she was dealt with, a buoyant outlook, and braving her setbacks with head-on and gritty persistence," Coumbs said.
After she celebrated not just reaching but exceeding her goal with her friends, family and co-workers, Smith brought herself back to reality and focused on what was ahead.
"Although I have passed the test and do not have to take it for another year, I have maintained my healthy eating and exercise routine," Smith said. "It feels good to be alive and healthy!"
