Pro Runner Gabriele Grunewald's Health Took A Turn For The Worst, According To Brother's Instagram
Professional runner Gabriele Grunewald has been battling rare cancers for 10 years.
Her brother posted on Instagram late Sunday night, with the lyrics to "If I Die Young" and the message, "Rest peacefully big sister."
Gabe, who ran professionally for Brooks Running, was diagnosed with both adenoid cystic carcinoma and thyroid cancer.
After multiple bouts of cancer, professional runner Gabriele Anderson Grunewald-better known as Gabe-has reportedly died at 32, per posts on her brother's Instagram account.
Gabe’s brother Caleb Anderson shared the news on Instagram Sunday night in an emotional post that quoted The Band Perry’s song "If I Die Young."
"You know I love you with all my heart and will miss you like crazy forever," he also wrote, alongside photos of Gabe with friends and family. "I am so grateful for the time and memories I have had with you and can’t wait to see you again in heaven. Rest peacefully big sister." In another post, he shared several photos of his sister and simply wrote in the caption, “Thanks for the memories Gabe!”
A post shared by Dr. Caleb Anderson, DPT, CSCS (@dr.anderson) on Jun 9, 2019 at 4:51pm PDT
Gabe was initially diagnosed with a rare salivary gland cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2009, according to Brave Like Gabe, a rare-cancer nonprofit she founded. She was then diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010 before having recurrences of adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2016 and 2017.
Gabe, who ran professionally for Brooks since 2010, continued to race in between treatments. “Throughout each new diagnosis and treatment, I have made the choice to run and train when my body allows,” she said on her website. “It hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been the right decision for me.”
Gabe wrote that from the first time she was told she had cancer, she “knew” that running would be a part of her recovery. “It has truly been my refuge; when everything else seems to be going wrong and the outcomes are far beyond my control, I can find perspective and hope on the run,” she said. “I believe that continuing to pursue my goals on the track has helped me to carry on with purpose in my life in the face of an uncertain future.”
Gabe also said that it had become “more and more of a challenge” to train to be one of the best runners in the world, but that she was hopeful to try to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 2020.
A post shared by gabriele anderson grunewald (@gigrunewald) on Jan 9, 2019 at 4:58pm PST
Gabe, who was left with mutliple scars from her cancer treatments, previously told Women's Health that she was “empowered” by those marks. "I’ve questioned why these issues happened to me, and it’s frustrating that they’ve affected my running career, but when I see my scars, I’m amazed at how adaptable and incredible the human body is,” she said. “When I line up at the start line, my scars differentiate me from my competitors in a good way. I’ve had to deal with confronting my own mortality-I feel I can rise to the challenge; I can do it."
In the past few weeks, Gabe's condition deteriorated rapidly. In an Instagram post shared in early May, Gabe said she was hospitalized with an infection, needed to have "a procedure done," and wouldn't be able to attend a Brave Like Gabe 5K being held in her honor.
A post shared by gabriele anderson grunewald (@gigrunewald) on May 4, 2019 at 7:38pm PDT
Then, early Sunday, Gabe’s husband Justin Grunewald shared in an Instagram that Gabe had been moved to comfort care. “I wanted to let you all know while she is still alive so you can send her one last message here or on her wall or on her phone before she heads up to heaven,” he wrote, before sharing a beautiful letter he said he wrote to her a few years ago.
“At the end of the day people won't remember the PRs run or the teams qualified for," he wrote, "but they will remember that hard period in their life where they were losing hope but they found inspiration in a young lady who refuses to give up."
A post shared by Justin Grunewald (@justingrunewald1) on Jun 9, 2019 at 12:48pm PDT
Justin hasn’t yet publicly commented on Gabe’s passing, but our thoughts are with him, Caleb, and all of Gabe's family and friends.
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