Donna Merica and Nancy Jones run lives full of optimism

Some of life’s most rewarding friendships are born in times of struggle, when the reliability and love of a friend translates to personal strength and determination.

For Donna Merica, life seemed like a series of events Murphy’s Law couldn’t explain.

Her husband suffered a stroke, she was attacked by a stranger after her work shift and she experienced a cancer scare. With help from her best friend, she took up running and got her life back on track.

Life imitating art

Merica is a lover of the justice system and true crime. Give her a crime novel and she’ll read it immediately. She can watch marathons of “Law & Order” and love every minute of it.

But her fascination with crime hit home on a hot July evening in 2010 when she was attacked by a man after her shift at Fry’s 33 in Tucson.

Merica, a cashier, safety coordinator and steward, finished her shift at 6 p.m. She could have walked across the street and waited 45 minutes for her bus, but in a hurry to get home she decided to walk down the street to catch a quicker one.

On the walk over to the bus stop, Merica took a call from her best friend, Nancy Jones. Jones is a 24-year veteran at Fry’s, starting when it was a Smith’s market. Through it all, she worked in various departments, ranging from general merchandise to video to her current position in customer service.

“I told Nancy, ‘Hold on, some guy looks like he’s in a hurry and he’s being a jerk to me,’” Merica recalled.

A man driving erratically down the street stopped and made a u-turn in front of Merica. The man yelled at her to get out of his face. Merica was terrified because she had never seen the man in her life. Her attacker got out of his car, began to count to 10 and told her repeatedly to get out of his sight. At the count of 10, he began to strangle her.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Jones recalled. “I didn’t even know about the scuffle until it had already happened.”

Though many bystanders were around, no one offered to help Merica. She managed to free herself from the man’s grip and she ran to a nearby convenience store. The attacker followed her and attempted to strangle her again. She was able to elude him and ran around looking for a police officer.

“I drove over to pick Donna up, and when I got there I realized what had happened,” Jones recalled.

Merica’s attacker was eventually confronted and taken down by eight police officers. Fortunately, she wasn’t seriously harmed. Her attacker is on trial at press time.

The experience has motivated her to become a prosecutor so she can put “the bad guys behind bars.”

“I see what’s going on with the justice system and I think it isn’t right,” she said. “I want to do something about it. It’s not fair for people to take advantage of other people.”

A stroke changed everything

This wasn’t the first time Merica experienced a life-changing event. In 2006, her husband, Andy, suffered a stroke. The stress of commuting between home, work and the hospital took a toll on her.

Merica needed to be closer to Andy’s rehabilitation center, so she transferred to Fry’s 131, where she became friends with Jones.

“Andy spent four nights in the Intensive Care Unit,” she recalled. “Each night there can cost $100,000. His stay ended up costing $250,000. When I looked at his bills, I thought, ‘Oh God, how am I going to pay this?’”

She never gave up. With help from her union-negotiated health benefits, she was able to take care of the medical bills. Instead of paying $250,000, she only had to pay $1,400.

Through rigorous rehabilitation, Andy has regained most of his speech. He continues to experience symptoms of apraxia (struggling with small words) and aphasia (difficulty remembering words).

A health scare of her own

In 2009, Merica had another medical scare, but this time it was her own health that was in peril.

During the critical period in which Arizona’s grocery industry narrowly averted a strike at the 11th hour, Merica’s doctor found a lump in her breast.

The tumor was benign, but it had to be removed, and the surgery was going to be expensive.

She struggled to pay her medical bills while taking care of her husband at the same time. She needed help.

“The state denied me food stamps and cash assistance because they said I made too much. I had to call my parents for help,” Merica said.

“I would never have made it if I didn’t have health care,” she said. “I would have been under the bus.”

As the strike deadline approached, Merica spoke to television reporters about the importance of good medical benefits.

Merica gained weight during the five years she took care of Andy and dealt with her cancer scare. She weighed 225 pounds when she transferred to Fry’s 131.

Through her friendship with Nancy, and with help from her family, Merica was encouraged to take better care of herself. She joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. Jones’ son, Rick, encouraged both of them to pursue running as a hobby.

“I was a runner in high school, but I wasn’t sure I could do it after so many years,” Jones said. “I figured if my older brother, Dan, who is 60 years old, could do it I could do it, too.”

“My whole family is big on Disney,” Jones added. “We buy annual passes for Disney World and go there twice a year. It’s what inspired me to do the half marathon.”

Together with Rick, Merica and Jones decided to compete in the 13-mile Walt Disney World Half-Marathon in Orlando, Fla. By then, Merica had already lost 75 pounds.

But their trip in January of 2010 wasn’t without its problems. As Merica got off her bus to register for the race, she twisted her ankle.

Jones was able to complete the race, but she hurt her toe in the process.

“I just remembered hearing a pop and looking down to see all this blood coming out of my shoe,” Jones said. “I was so sore the next day that I couldn’t walk and my toe nail was ripped, but the experience was so worth it.”

Merica waited for her friend and cried, not only because of the pain of her twisted ankle, but also because of the prospect of paying more medical bills.

“Fortunately, the union helped me out with my disability for three weeks,” Merica said. “I got $150 a week. Where else could you get that but in a union job?”

Courage to persevere

Undeterred, Merica trained harder than before by running four miles a day. She traveled with Jones and Rick to Orlando again the following January, determined to run the half-marathon this time.

Merica, Jones and Rick finished the race together in three and a half hours.

The experience left all of them wanting more. The three are training to run the half marathon in Orlando next year.

Jones continues to prepare for the race, but admits the current year has been hard on her. Her father passed away and she helps her mother daily by running errands and taking care of her at home.

Although Jones is only able to commit to running one to two miles every other day, she’s convinced she’ll be ready to run again next January in Orlando.

Merica and Rick plan to be there as they cross the finish line together.