Doctors told Season Kerman that people don't normally walk, let alone run, after the kind of breaks she suffered when a hit-skip driver left her for dead last winter.
But Kerman remains defiant and determined to get back to her passion for running.
She's already run a few miles here and there - and against her doctor's advice - the 37-year-old mother has signed up to run the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon next April in Canton.
"I myself want to prove to myself that I can run a full marathon a little over a year from being hit by a car," Kerman said.
Last December, Kerman was out for a run on State Route 619 near Mayfair Road when she was struck by a Mercury Grand Marquis driving by Michael Shahan of Marlboro Township.
"I just remember the impact. It just felt like the wind got knocked out of me," Kerman recalled.
Kerman's right leg was broken in three places and her lacerated liver was a life-threatening injury for two days.
"He had lacerated my liver which they said was a level four laceration which is the most severe laceration you can have," she said.
Investigators said Shahan fled the scene, but a mirror from his vehicle fell on the side of the road and deputies gathered information on the driver, who agreed to turn himself in.
Shahan was convicted of felony vehicular assault. He was sentenced to 30 days house arrest, two years community control and his driver's license was suspended for one year.
Kerman attended the sentencing and felt the penalty didn't fit the crime.
"He did apologize to me. I don't think right now that means anything to me," Kerman said. "You left me and that's still I feel."
Kerman was able to finish a 5K race over the summer, but she said it was painful.
Doctors have removed plates from her leg and it continues to feel very stiff each morning.
Still, she is not deterred when it comes to her goal of getting back to her old running form and crossing a marathon finishing line in seven months.
"My doctor told me I'm nuts, but I can do it. I can do it. I'll push myself. I'll run through pain. I've run through pain before."
