RACING UPHILL
Confronting a Life with Epilepsy
The candid, inspiring story of a woman’s experience with a chronic, unpredictable neurological condition
When twenty-nine-year-old reporter Stacia Kalinoski regained consciousness on a couch at the TV station where she worked, she assumed that she’d had another seizure. But the electrical storm that had just torn through her brain was more destructive than she could have imagined, and the broadcast journalism career she loved swiftly came to an end. Forced to confront the reality of her medical condition, Kalinoski made the risky decision to undergo brain surgery, targeting the epilepsy that was ravaging her life.
In Racing Uphill,
The candid, inspiring story of a woman’s experience with a chronic, unpredictable neurological condition
When twenty-nine-year-old reporter Stacia Kalinoski regained consciousness on a couch at the TV station where she worked, she assumed that she’d had another seizure. But the electrical storm that had just torn through her brain was more destructive than she could have imagined, and the broadcast journalism career she loved swiftly came to an end. Forced to confront the reality of her medical condition, Kalinoski made the risky decision to undergo brain surgery, targeting the epilepsy that was ravaging her life.
In Racing Uphill, Kalinoski describes the seizures that occurred while she was running, which led to her pursuit of an uncertain cure. Rallying the grit she developed as an athlete and engaging the research and reporting skills she acquired as a journalist, she gives us a rare inside look at the ways epilepsy can change a life. Moving beyond her own personal experience, Kalinoski interviews prominent epileptologists to understand how seizures can spread, steal memories, and create strange behaviors and mood disorders. She seamlessly joins what she learned from her research with her own story, offering valuable insight into the experience of grappling with a relentless neurological disease.
The vivid auras that preceded seizures and the damage that followed; the toll of her epilepsy on her family and loved ones; the extraordinary determination her reckoning required–these are all part of Kalinoski’s story of adversity, denial, acceptance, and resilience. In sharing the remarkable opportunity that epilepsy presented for her courage and growth, Stacia Kalinoski speaks to anyone facing an uphill battle and offers inspiration for taking control of one’s own health.
- University of Minnesota Press
- Paperback
- July 2025
- 232 Pages
- 9781517917463
Buy the Book
$19.95
About Stacia Kalinoski
Stacia Kalinoski is an Emmy Award-winning TV news journalist whose documentary Brainstorm premiered on Twin Cities PBS and was nominated for a regional Emmy Award. Before a seizure ended her broadcast journalism career, she reported for television stations in Nebraska, Oregon, and Michigan. She now shares her story as a motivational speaker.
Praise
“Stacia Kalinoski has been an inspiration in my life and my son’s life, giving hope to those with epilepsy through her resolve and willingness to stand up for herself and others with seizure disorders. Her memoir further highlights her amazing fighting spirit. Within these pages, she offers encouragement to millions of Americans who are struggling–emphasizing that they, too, can overcome.” —Wayne Drash, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author
“Stacia Kalinoski’s courage in sharing her personal journey with epilepsy is truly inspiring. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, yet as a society, we still have much to learn about understanding and supporting those who live with it. Through her powerful storytelling, Kalinoski not only raises vital public awareness but also offers hope and encouragement to others navigating life with seizures.” —Jenna Carter, executive director, Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota
“I respect Stacia Kalinoski so much for what she has done for epilepsy. She continues to work hard and help people.” —Jerry Kill, Jerry Kill, Division I football coach
“This is a compelling memoir — an inside view of what it’s like to live with a widely misunderstood neurological condition.” —MinnPost
“An eye-opening look into a neurological condition that affects 55,000 Minnesotans.” —Pioneer Press
Discussion Questions
1. What have you learned about seizures that you didn’t know before? Do you feel like you would be able to recognize different types of seizures now, aside from a tonic-clonic?
2. Describe a moment in Racing Uphill that really opened your eyes to epilepsy. Will it stick with you?
3. Aside from her auras, Stacia had no idea what she was doing during her seizures, and she didn’t have control over her actions. How do you think you may have reacted if you saw one of Stacia’s seizures in public?
4. Stacia writes about the game she played with her family around a campfire with contemplative thought starters. “Would you rather remember everything, bad or good? Or remember nothing?” Based on Stacia’s experience with lost memories, what would you choose?
5. What would you ask Stacia about her experience if you had the chance?
6. If you could ask one person to read Racing Uphill, who would it be? And what do you hope the takeaway would be?
7. If you are a parent, did you relate in any way to how Stacia’s mom reacted to the letter from her coworker Kate?
8. Do you think you would take the risk of brain surgery without the guarantee of it completely working?
9. Stacia said that losing her career gave her no choice but to take care of her health, and she said brain surgery was the easiest decision of her life. Have you ever experienced a moment that forced you to do something risky to improve your life or a loved one’s?