At 83, Patricia Fujii is just hitting her peak.
Six years ago at 77, Patricia, or ‘Pat’ to her friends, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and, as a result of her radiation, was feeling sluggish and slow.
When she asked a nurse what she could do to combat the drain on her energy, the nurse informed her that exercising could help her keep her spirits up and her health in check – so that’s exactly what she did.
Keeping the tiredness of radiation at bay and keeping fit at the same time, then 77-year-old Fujii trained everyday by running, walking, jumping and swimming, and then, just one day after her last radiation treatment, she competed in the Idaho Senior Games.
But Pat didn’t just compete – she won.
Ending the day with seven gold medals under her belt, Pat knew she had found her calling.
Albeit a bit late.
“It was a wonderful feeling!” she told TODAY.com, “I won 7 gold medals, and I made it through the day without getting sick or having to quit. My zumba, aerobics, and tai chi classes really helped my track.”
Patricia (442) competing in the sprint.
After her golden run at the 2008 Idaho Games, Pat just kept getting better and better, winning 10 gold medals in 2014 – but she didn’t want to stop there. Deciding she’d had enough of the little leagues, Pat and her son agreed that it was time that she entered into the senior’s equivalent of the Olympics: the National Seniors Games.
From there, Pat began training everyday with four to 11-year-old children to keep her endurance up and she competed in track, jumping and basketball last week.
Although she didn’t medal in any of her categories, the 83-year-old says it isn’t about winning and that the best part about competing is making new friends.
“All the athletes are friendly, so encouraging and cheer you on,” Fujii said, “I like to make new friends, also, and have made friends from different parts of Idaho.”
When she is not competing nationally, Fujii is a part-time florist and realtor.
