Local man recovering from accident finishes Aruna 5k

Most people participate in races to support a good cause or to see how fast they can go. Some people just do it to see if they can finish — no matter how long it takes.

On June 22 the Dalton Aruna 5k Run had its 10th year, this time at Living Water Church, to help free human-trafficked victims.

When Bradie Ramella of Dalton heard about the upcoming race, he knew he wanted to not only compete, but also raise money for the cause. The caveat is Ramella has only one leg and is still recovering from a brain injury, both due to a motorcycle accident that happened Sept. 10, 2022.

Rallying some young adult friends, Ramella’s team name was Hop, Skip, ‘n’ a Jump, and in the end, he and his team fundraised over $1,000 for the Aruna Run.

“The only way to get started is to start. I like a challenge,” said Ramella, who finished the 5k by walking it in under four hours with only a few sitting breaks.

In 2022 before the accident, the previous cross country runner for Dalton High ran the race in 27:12. The brain injury was the main reason for his slower pace.

His mom LaVonne Ramella was told at the time of the accident to envision her son’s head wrapped in a bandage for two years because of the amount of time it would take to heal and that even after that amount of time, his brain could still be repairing itself.

Ramella’s brain injury was on the right side of his brain, and his left leg had to be amputated. Because the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, moving his prosthetic leg is very challenging.

Before the race he had not walked over a quarter of a mile at any given time with his new leg. Usually in therapy, he would walk about 700 feet.

LaVonne Ramella suggested he practice before the race, but he decided not to.

“I had blind confidence and stubbornness going into it,” Ramella said. He received his first prosthesis in December 2022. About a year ago in May 2023, he got one with a computerized knee.

His team supported him by walking the race with him. Some remained for the whole race; others stayed with them as long as they could. The hills on the course were challenging. To keep his prosthetic leg balanced under him, he had to zigzag up them, and his right leg had to do all the work. In order to maintain his balance and take longer strides, Ramella kept his hand on his friend John Derry’s shoulder throughout the entire course.

Ramella was cleared to drive about a year ago, goes to the gym three days a week, and works part-time at Tilmor and part-time at Orrville Cycling and Fitness.

“Since 2015 we have raised approximately $140,300 — $11,500 of that from 2024 — to be used to help free women from sex trafficking in India and help empower them to take back their life and value,” said Jeff Rettig, Dalton Aruna Run director.

He said all of the profits from the race and fundraising go directly to the Aruna Project, where they use it to either provide healing for the rescued women or it goes toward freeing women still enslaved in the sex-trafficking industry. This year there were 121 participants walking or running in either the 5k or the 10k.

“Personally, my motivation comes from having a daughter of my own, my wife, and having four sisters and a mother I care deeply about. I am where I am here today because of the women in my life and the wisdom and leadership that they bring to me and others around me,” Rettig said.

They have a date planned for 2025 and are considering some location changes, but next year’s race will be June 7.

“Bradie is very strong-willed, but it is why he is where he is — because of his determination not to let hard things stop him. Finishing was the only option he had,” LaVonne Ramella said.