A Head for the Cure award seems appropriate for Elyssa because of how much her story involves running. It was on a drive to Florida—where Elyssa was planning to run her first Disney World 10K—that a seizure and a day in a South Carolina hospital revealed her brain tumor. Two weeks later, and two months before her wedding, Dr. Hadar removed her tumor and she began her efforts to rehab; first to walk again, then to run. On the morning of her wedding, she a ran a 5K, about 10 weeks after her brain surgery. Since then, she has managed to finally get in her Disney World race (and then some), finishing 4 10Ks, and 4 Half Marathons in one of her favorite places. She has also run local 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons, including these annual Head for the Cure Events. Elyssa’s surgery and rehab also led to other changes in her life. Her recovery gave her a different perspective on the world and she ended up leaving her job as a divorce attorney a few years ago to pursue her dream of being a wedding photographer. Since then, her wedding photography business has blossomed to the point that she is booked solid through this fall and most of next spring. She also serves on the board of the local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and tries to take her husband, John, to Disney World whenever she is able.