Born to run: Brooklyn man diagnosed with rare disease is back doing what he loves

A Brooklyn man diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition has not let it get in the way of his love for running.

Michael Ring ran many marathons until 2014. That year, he was cheering on runners at the Boston Marathon when he decided to eat chicken from a place he described as a "hole-in-the-wall."

Days later, he was placed in a hospital’s intensive care unit for food poisoning, which trigged a rare condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome. This condition attacks an individual's nerves – causing paralysis. Ring, 60, lost the ability to move his arms and legs.

After 135 days in the hospital, he was determined to get his life back.

"I never thought I'd never run again." Michael Ring said.

After relearning how to walk, he started training for a marathon in 2016. It's been 10 years since his diagnosis. Ring now runs as a disabled athlete with a guide – also known as an Achilles Athlete.

He participated in the 2024 RBC Brooklyn Half presented by the New York Road Runners and will continue living his life the way he wants, breathing and running.