Extraordinary Health 27 | Page 15

IN the high-flying, daredevil world of bicycle motocross stunt riding, injuries come with the territory. Professional BMX rider and Garden of Life® brand ambassador Josh Perry found that out the hard way five years ago when he was practicing a trick that would change his life. He vividly remembers the moment when he attempted a flair whip on a six-foot quarter pipe straight out of the foam pit. (Translation: He was doing a back flip on his bike, combined with a 180-degree turn so he could land facing backwards down the ramp.) On this particular day, something felt wrong and he overcompensated during the flip, resulting in a crash landing flat on his head. Several CAT scans and rounds of tests later, doctors determined that a large tumor was covering the entire left side of his brain. Although the mass was not caused by the injury, the fateful event led to a diagnosis that ultimately saved his life. “I was shocked by the news, but it made sense because I had been suffering with nausea and debilitating migraines for more than a year before the accident,” Josh recalled. “I was told that the surgery was very risky because the mass was situated on an important artery in my brain, and the slightest error could cause a stro