Defeating Brain Tumor and Eating Disorder, 23-Year-Old Surfer Is All Set for Paris Olympics 2024

Costa Rican surfer Brisa Hennessy recently made many heads turn her way by qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will represent her country for the second consecutive time in the world’s top sporting platform after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she clinched fifth place and earned global recognition. However, for the Costa Rican surfer, things were not always on the brighter side. There was a multitude of trials and tribulations that the surfing icon came across.

Over the last 18 months, Hennessy faced a legion of health challenges. She has been diagnosed with an adenoma on her pituitary gland earlier this year. In the wake of this, she has struggled with depression and heart palpitations. “I was in a fight with my body”, asserted Hennessy. On top of that, way before getting acquainted with her tumor, the 23-year-old battled an eating disorder. But how did she manage to cope with such adversities?

Brisa Hennessy and her silent battle with chronic ailments

Recently, the 23-year-old appeared in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, where she talked about her struggles with depression and other mental health issues. Though her tumor got diagnosed in February this year, she has been facing several hormonal discrepancies for the past 1 and a half years. The initial symptoms of adenoma caused instant weight gain, brain fog, irregular menstrual cycles, and lethargy. She stated, “I think I put myself in so many stressful situations and let that stress really hinder my well-being”.

Despite suffering from several health challenges, the surfer is rather optimistic about her hardships, “It felt like it wasn’t real in some ways, and honestly, It was kind of relief too, to know there was something wrong with my brain”. Nonetheless, due to its non-cancerous nature, the tumor can be treated without surgery. Hence, the 23-year-old remains hopeful of the likely solution. 

Now, she is all set to paddle some of the most notorious waves at Teahupo’o next year. Hennessy looks back at how she coped with her eating disorders and managed to ignore the constant social media scrutiny.

A staunch coping mechanism

As a teen, Hennessy battled an eating disorder along with issues like constant body image perusal on social media. “the way social media is going, it’s pretty toxic in so many ways”, conceded the 23-year-old. However, amidst all the scrutiny, she fought back and came out of it in 2018. In the same year, she qualified for the WSL championship tour. With this, she became the first Costa Rican surfer to qualify for the World Surf League championships.

Read More: “God Has Used My Life”: Legendary American Surfer, Who Lost Her Arm in a Tragic Shark Attack, Shares an Emotional Update

Then in 2019, she stood atop the podium by garnering top 10 finishes throughout the season. Her biggest triumph came in 2020 when she finished fifth at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Nonetheless, by placing 12th in the Championship tour in 2023, the surfer once again secured her place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Though she had quite a bumpy ride last year, she made it through all the obstacles with absolute finesse. 

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