Researcher runs NYC Marathon to honor colleague

Life is full of surprises. If anyone told me a year ago that I would be running a marathon, I would have had a good laugh. I was active but never athletic enough to go beyond a short distance run. Running started as a hobby for me, but it took a meaningful turn this year after I decided to race the New York City marathon, the world’s largest marathon, this November. More important than my personal milestone, I wanted to raise awareness about lymphoma and to honor the life of a friend and a colleague who passed away fighting this disease.

A little bit about me and why I am running this iconic marathon

I am a passionate cancer research scientist at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and, over many years, I have focused on understanding how cancer cells evade therapy. Every morning when I go to work, I get to see patients — young and old — visiting the cancer center. I get inspiration to do more with the hope that our research would someday lead to cures against this deadly disease.

In a twist of fate, a good friend of mine, Marisa Meyers Needham, a former graduate student from our lab, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last year around this time. We were shell-shocked and very sad. She was young, successful, married and had an adorable son. Her family fought to save her but she passed away fighting this disease a few months ago, fighting like a hero until the end. Marisa was brave, and although she showed early signs of improvement, she unfortunately couldn’t overcome this vicious disease. Her untimely death led me to explore my life and be appreciative of life in general.

Cancer doesn’t discriminate if you are rich or poor, young or old and, ironically, a cancer researcher or not. All these years I was proud I could contribute something meaningful to the society in the form of cancer research. Yet at this point, I felt I should take a step further by raising awareness about this disease, too. I decided the best way to honor her life would be to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and to wear her name on my race-day jersey. I have been race training for the past few months, and it has taught me few things I feel are worth sharing.

Fitness teaches me discipline.

I was never a morning person to begin with, but ever since I started my fitness regimen, I rise early and show up to our group workouts, including on weekends. Over time, I have become more focused and developed a sense of discipline. I appreciate the camaraderie of team work the very first thing in the morning. I am human, too. Some days I don’t get motivated, but I make a conscious effort to never quit trying and constantly improve myself.

Live a meaningful life.

My sense of purpose got even more solidified as I walked in to work every day, riding the elevator at the Hollings Cancer Center and talking to patients and their families. I get a feeling my research one day will leave a positive impact on someone’s life. Never did I imagine the friend and colleague I worked with would succumb to this dreadful disease. This was an awakening in the sense that I should in my capacity give back to the community and live a meaningful life.