When I tell people I am running in this year’s BAA Boston Marathon, the next statement after words of congratulations I hear is usually “Why would you run 26.2 miles?”
Here is my response….
It is early in the morning. It is cold and dark in Massachusetts in the winter. The end is a long way away. You are all by yourself. Every step taken hurts. You are not sure you will make it and you feel it would be easier to give up.
This is not me on one of my training runs (although this may easily describe me). However, this can describe the journey of many people who are recovering from a physically debilitating illness or injury. Today, patients are discharged from hospital and rehabilitation care with more significant medical needs than in the past. Many of you have had family and friends who have returned home after a hospital stay. It can be an exhausting, scary and often lonely time. Maybe you have been lucky enough not to know this but you recognize how real this situation is.
As a physical therapist, and a clinical manager at Partners Home Care, I see first-hand the dedication of our nurses, therapists and home health aides as they lead patients down the road to recovery while also providing a safe and medically appropriate environment for healing. And physical rehabilitation is just one of the services provided by Partners Home Care, which offers all our patients the hope and the strength to meet their challenges.
Our clinicians are highly skilled but continue to need the ongoing training and equipment that allows us to meet the challenging medical conditions we treat.
This is why I am running the 114th Boston Marathon. I have been provided the unique opportunity to run for our patients, our clinicians, and our mission. Your donation will help Partners Home Care achieve our mission every day and help us keep our promise to our patients in their time of vulnerability.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Please consider the following contributions:
$26.20 = $1 for each mile I run
$42.20 = $1 for each kilometer I run
$114 = 114th year of the Boston Marathon
Many thanks for your support-- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!