NORFOLK, Va. — People who know Petty Officer Ruth Freeman say she's the definition of a leader. She's training for the upcoming warrior and the Invictus games -- but she's not just training for one sport.
"I'm training for sitting volleyball, cycling, rowing track and field."
On top of that, Ruth is five months post-partum. She's also battling metastatic papillary thyroid cancer and has fought the disease since 2016.
"I mean, it was a surprise when I got pregnant …12 surgeries, radiation, and all that stuff. Five years of constant medical seeing so many specialists for chronic pain."
"I was still training. So, that's my thing too. I was still training throughout my pregnancy, still competed up until my third trimester."
Ruth said training for the games and being a leader gave her a different view of life.
"It gave me a new normal. It also pushed me and introduced me to things that I never thought I would ever do."
This outlook is something she wants to spread to others.
"I wanted to show them that anything is possible. I mean, it's hard, but you just have to take it day by day."
"Day by day," a phrase she said she lives by. "I mean, it's going to be hard regardless. Every day's going to be hard. There are times you won't be able to get off your bed or do something."
"Take the time to get it out. Be sad. But don't get stuck in there because there's still a lot of things you can do."
Because she's a leader, a mother and a fighter, we wanted to do something for her, so we surprised her with a $500 gift card as a token of appreciation.