At 71 years old, Grand Blanc resident Hattie Christian has had her fair share of life’s challenges, but with her resilient nature, nothing will bring her down. In 2009, Hattie was informed that her 40-year-old son, Carvel, needed a kidney transplant. She was overweight and had high blood pressure at the time, so she started working out at Hurley Fitness Center to get healthier and possibly give him one of her kidneys.
One day while working out, she overheard talk about “The Crim” and saw people training for the race. While Hattie had been active for a while, walking was never something that appealed to her. However, after hearing about the training program and the community that it built, she was intrigued and decided to join.
Hattie completed her first Crim in August 2009, finishing in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 11 seconds. That first year turned out to be really enjoyable and helped her down the path to a healthier lifestyle, so much so that she registered again the following year.
“While I was doing well in the Crim Training Program I had a large setback in 2011 when my son passed away prior to becoming healthy enough for his transplant. I felt I was done with the Crim,” explained Hattie.
It was shortly after this that Hattie’s dedication to engaging the community in becoming healthier was recognized and she was approached about becoming a training Group Leader. To this day, Hattie is still a Group Leader with Judge Ransom, and a true inspiration and benefit to the entire CrimFit Training Program community.
While the loss of her son was difficult, Hattie’s deeper engagement as a Group Leader has allowed her to have a positive influence on countless lives, helping individuals on their own path to a healthier lifestyle.
“After I lost my son, I kept going, not out of depression but rather to keep the positivity of the program and the community as part of my life. Crim is the reason for who I am today. Every year I can hear my son’s encouraging voice as I approach the finish line like I did in 2009 and 2010. I look forward to the CrimFit Training Program and race every year. It helps me encourage others to stay in good health while doing the same for myself,” said Hattie.
Healthy, motivated, and with a nursing background for the past 50 years, Hattie still found herself in another challenging position. For the past 4 years, she has persevered through a cerebrospinal fluid leak.
Just a few weeks ago, Hattie underwent brain surgery where doctors were able to successfully fix the problem. Hattie, in her unwavering attitude to help others, is bravely allowing doctors to do a study on her due to this condition being so rare. It is her hope that through the study, she will be able to help others recover quicker who are dealing with the same thing.
However, Hattie’s challenges didn’t end there. The day after her surgery, on the way home from the hospital, her vehicle was hit by another driver running a red light. “I was forced to go directly back to the hospital to make sure everything was OK. The nurses are so impressed with how I’m doing,” explained Hattie, with a confidence that could only be expressed by someone who has had the experience she has.
With this stay at the hospital, care staff wanted to make sure Hattie could walk on her own. With 10 years of the CrimFit Training Program under her belt, Hattie proclaimed, “I’ll show you how to walk. I got out of the bed, and they were amazed for sure.”
Hattie currently works at Hamilton Community Health Network, where she brings a positive attitude to everything she does. “I enjoy life.” She laughed as she shared, “My ten medical assistants always look at me, smile and say ‘Nobody Can Take Nothing Away From You!'”
They sure do have that right!
