Hi, my name is Nicholas Gleissner
Hi, my name is Nick and I am 29 years old. My Para-cycling journey began when I was 16 and was in the hospital newly diagnosed with an inoperable brainstem tumor.
I was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma brain stem tumor. The plan was to do six weeks of Proton Radiation and steroid therapy. I was very happy not to be getting chemotherapy as I know first hand what it does to the body. That, however, is another story.
The Journey
I was just beginning to regain mobility after being paralyzed throughout my body and my father had bought me a three-wheeled trike to aid in my recovery. As soon as I felt the pedals under my feet and the air on my face, I was hooked. My recovery took off from there, as I started to make progress in areas the doctors believed I would not. From there on I progressed in the cycling world moving up from the trike to a hybrid beach cruiser to a road bike. I am now cancer-free. But, there is no beating Cancer without side effects.
I live with a right body tremor, double-blurred vision, muscle atrophy, muscle weakness, memory issues, and stretch marks from head to toe due to steroid therapy. You can imagine how difficult sometimes it is for me to ride.
Fast forward
Now, I am shooting for my dream of being on Team USA and representing the USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic/Paralympic games and further. I have been training for years and have a National title under my belt. I am going to do whatever it takes to make my dream a reality.
