From 2-hour workdays to running in forests and hiking through South Africa in 16 months.
In the summer of 2024, Marco couldn’t work more than 2 hours a day. At 53 years old, chronic fatigue syndrome had dropped him into what he calls “the trenches.” Crushing fatigue. Dizziness. Headaches. Digestive problems. Sensitivity to light. Every day was survival.
Sixteen months later, he’s running in the forests of British Columbia, lifting weights, working full-time, and hiking through Cape Town with his wife.
This is how he got there.
Rock Bottom
CFS hit Marco in June 2024. It didn’t just take his energy. It took his sense of self. He couldn’t show up at work. He couldn’t travel. Simple pleasures became things he had to carefully plan or skip entirely.
The worst part wasn’t the physical symptoms. It was the fear. Every new sensation felt like a warning sign. Every flare-up felt like failure. His brain was constantly scanning for what could go wrong.
At his lowest, he wondered if recovery was even possible.
The Fear Loop
Like many people with CFS, Marco got stuck in a loop. The more he feared his symptoms, the more his nervous system stayed in survival mode. The more his nervous system stayed in survival mode, the worse the symptoms got.
He tried pushing through. He tried resting more. Without the right framework, everything felt like guesswork.
What he needed wasn’t more effort. It was a completely different way of understanding his body.
The Mindshift
Marco eventually found an approach that treated CFS as a dysregulated nervous system that could be retrained. Not a mystery illness to manage forever.
That reframe changed everything. Symptoms stopped being threats and started being information. He got coaching and clear frameworks. He stopped trying to figure it out alone. His early trust was almost blind faith, but he committed to the work anyway.
What Actually Worked
Reframing symptoms. When he increased activity and felt tired or sore, he learned to respond calmly instead of panicking. Symptoms during expansion aren’t failure. They’re part of the process, kind of like being sore after a workout.
Gratitude journaling. Each night he’d note what he was thankful for. Sometimes small things. A good meal. Sunshine on his face. A conversation with his wife. This retrained his brain to scan for what was right instead of what was wrong.
Something to look forward to. Each day he’d find one thing, big or small, that gave him anticipation. Over time, the things he looked forward to grew. Weekend plans. A hike. Eventually, South Africa.
Pacing without fear. Not pacing to avoid life. Pacing to intentionally manage energy and gradually expand. He describes it as keeping a “train on the rails.” The journey can wobble, but you can correct early if you notice it.
Support. Coaching and frameworks meant he didn’t have to figure every confusing symptom out alone. For CFS recovery, support isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s often the difference between stuck and moving forward.
Where Marco Is Now
By March 2025, nine months in, Marco was back to full-time work at a demanding job. He’s in the gym lifting weights. He’s running in the forest. His current recovery goal is about growth, not survival.
Then came South Africa. The trip had been his north star. He and his wife hiked through Cape Town, went on game drives, kayaked, and traveled through the country for weeks. This wasn’t a carefully managed trip where he spent half his time in the hotel. It was a real adventure.
His nervous system moved out of constant survival mode. Cognitive and physical capacity are now balanced. He feels like himself again. And he’s become a source of hope for others still in the trenches.