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Racing Uphill
Confronting a Life with Epilepsy
Stacia Kalinoski (Author)
9781517917463
Paperback / softback, published 1 July 2025
232 pages, 8 black and white illustrations
21 x 14 x 1.1 cm, 0.284 kg
"Stacia Kalinoski has been an inspiration in my life and my son's life, giving hope to those with epilepsy through her resolve and willingness to stand up for herself and others with seizure disorders. Her memoir further highlights her amazing fighting spirit. Within these pages, she offers encouragement to millions of Americans who are struggling - emphasizing that they, too, can overcome." - Wayne Drash, Emmy Award–winning journalist and author "Stacia Kalinoski's courage in sharing her personal journey with epilepsy is truly inspiring. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, yet as a society, we still have much to learn about understanding and supporting those who live with it. Through her powerful storytelling, Kalinoski not only raises vital public awareness but also offers hope and encouragement to others navigating life with seizures." - Jenna Carter, executive director, Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota "I respect Stacia Kalinoski so much for what she has done for epilepsy. She continues to work hard and help people." - Jerry Kill, Jerry Kill, Division I football coach "This is a compelling memoir - an inside view of what it's like to live with a widely misunderstood neurological condition." - MinnPost "An eye-opening look into a neurological condition that affects 55,000 Minnesotans." - Pioneer Press
The candid, inspiring story of a woman’s experience with a chronic, unpredictable neurological condition In Racing Uphill, Kalinoski describes the seizures that occurred while she was running, which led to her pursuit of an uncertain cure. Rallying the grit she developed as an athlete and engaging the research and reporting skills she acquired as a journalist, she gives us a rare inside look at the ways epilepsy can change a life. Moving beyond her own personal experience, Kalinoski interviews prominent epileptologists to understand how seizures can spread, steal memories, and create strange behaviors and mood disorders. She seamlessly joins what she learned from her research with her own story, offering valuable insight into the experience of grappling with a relentless neurological disease. The vivid auras that preceded seizures and the damage that followed; the toll of her epilepsy on her family and loved ones; the extraordinary determination her reckoning required-these are all part of Kalinoski’s story of adversity, denial, acceptance, and resilience. In sharing the remarkable opportunity that epilepsy presented for her courage and growth, Stacia Kalinoski speaks to anyone facing an uphill battle and offers inspiration for taking control of one’s own health.
When twenty-nine-year-old reporter Stacia Kalinoski regained consciousness on a couch at the TV station where she worked, she assumed that she’d had another seizure. But the electrical storm that had just torn through her brain was more destructive than she could have imagined, and the broadcast journalism career she loved swiftly came to an end. Forced to confront the reality of her medical condition, Kalinoski made the risky decision to undergo brain surgery, targeting the epilepsy that was ravaging her life.
Contents Prologue 1. You Can Run Faster 2. Tonic-Clonic (or, How to Worry a Parent) 3. Tough As Nails 4. Cornhusker 5. Sleepless in Seattle 6. Calming the Storm 7. DÉjÀ Vu 8. A Difficult Patient 9. Missing Reminiscing 10. Level 4: Denial 11. Looking for Answers 12. Bizarre and Unique 13. Nowhere Else to Hide 14. Jamais Vu 15. Epilepsy Wins 16. Termination 17. The Best Place to Start Over 18. Coming Home and Reaching New Heights 19. Stigma, Up Close and Personal 20. Black and White 21. A Battery of Tests 22. “You Are a Candidate” 23. Back behind the Camera 24. Brain Mapping 25. Caregivers’ Worry Never Ends 26. Brainstorm Resources and Further Reading Acknowledgments