CARLSBAD, Calif. — An Oceanside woman, who at one point could barely walk, finished her first half marathon.
"I had arthritis really bad in my feet," said Luanne Minette. Minette said her foot pain was so bad, she got to the point where she couldn't walk. Doctors told her she could end up in a wheelchair.
"I think life in general, I used my feet a lot," she said. "Being on the plane, long hours, poor eating."
The retired flight attendant had surgery and got new joints in both of her feet.
"I'm such an active person, I feel like I've been given my life back."
She never thought she would be able to run a half marathon. She was one in 10,000 people who ran the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon.
"It was like a bucket list coming true," she said. "Never would I ever thought in my wildest dreams that this would happen."
It was thanks to Tri-City Medical Center. The group sponsored 13 people with physical challenges including Minette. They're called the Lucky 13.
"Every one of us wants to overcome these challenges," said Minette.
She plans to give back to others in her same situation.
"I'll be able to carry this with me and help others who have arthritis," she said.
