Alex Cownie

10 years fighting impossible odds and I’m standing now stronger than ever.

Ten years ago a virus killed my left ear and severely damaged my vestibular nerves… leaving me near dead and unable to sit down or walk.

I was told I’d be lucky to walk properly again let alone exercise, I was told it’d be hard to work, live, raise my kids, travel, live an active and fun life…

Life shrunk to something unbearable. Trapped inside a body that didn’t work anymore after being a professional athlete was the most painful experience of my life.

Besides my husband and children, everything else was lost. Passion, businesses, livelihood, ability to use my body normally, dreams of travels and adventures, even reading a book made me sick.

After spending a few months feeling very sorry for myself I started to ignore the prognosis and fight. An insanely stubborn, hardcore, and disciplined attitude pulled through to the other end.

This was the type of challenge that breaks most - as it almost did me many times along the way.

It took me 3 years to handle an hour of yoga without curling into a ball and feeling sick for hours afterwards.

Another 2 years to walk 5k alone without needing to be pickup half way.

First movie in a theatre was after 6 years.

First concert was after 9 years and despite loving it, I left curled up on the grass, so desoriented that my amazing husband .cownie had to support me the entire way back to the hotel.

This week, it’s no small deed to be leaving AC/DC standing (barely and with help - but still standing!!) after 10 years of pain, suffering, heartbreaks, deep deep deep despair and loss of hope and desire to keep living.

Today I am still here. Still fighting. Editing the last sections of my memoir that is already deeply affecting the lives of my early readers and closest friends I’ve shared sections with. ❤️

I’ll always be deaf.
I’ll always have severe vestibular nerve damage.
I’ll continue to feel sick every single morning a the gym.
But I’ll never stop living life. Never ever again. 🤘🏻