Over the past few months, I have been training to run the Chicago Marathon on October 8th, and with your help I am also hoping to raise funds for an organization very close to my heart (literally…) – Mayo Clinic.
Here’s my personal backstory as to what inspired me to run this year and give back to Mayo:
Just over three years ago, I uncovered some underlying health issues that I have been quietly battling with the support of my immediate family and friends. In June of 2020, my family and I traveled to Rochester, MN to meet with specialists at Mayo Clinic with the goal of learning more and seeking treatment for these issues.
After multiple trips that included a battery of tests, imaging, and appointments with numerous doctors and nurses - we concluded that I’d need to undergo surgery to remove a mass they found on my right kidney. In November of 2020 I underwent a successful “robotic partial nephrectomy” to remove the mass, which was later found to be a cancerous tumor.
We were extremely fortunate to have caught this early, and the doctors confirmed the cancer had not metastasized to other organs. At that point I was cancer-free.
More appointments occurred in the months that followed, keeping tabs on not only my kidneys and their function, but also other vital organs that might have abnormalities. Unfortunately, we discovered I was not out of the woods yet.
In late 2021/early 2022, my care team was tracking an irregularity in my heart they discovered during a round of imaging. There was an enlarged section of my aorta that was cause for concern, and my cardiologist concluded we should take care of it as soon as possible to prevent further complication.
In October of 2022 I underwent open heart surgery at Mayo to replace the enlarged portion of my aorta with an artificial graft. This was performed by one of the only doctors in the world who is known for successfully completing this surgery while also sparing the adjacent valve of my heart (preventing the need for future replacement and daily blood thinners for the rest of my life, a huge win). The surgery was a total success, and I was recovered and back to life in Chicago within 8 weeks of the operation.
As tough as these times have been for me and my family, we’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to seek treatment at Mayo Clinic. I can’t begin to describe how incredible the people are that work there. The kindness and compassion they show every patient, paired with the wealth of knowledge, efficient processes, and cutting-edge technology truly makes this a special place.
Part of Mayo’s mission statement is to inspire hope and promote health. After recovering from my heart procedure I felt compelled to do something that would not only challenge myself, but also give me an opportunity to give back to the place that has inspired hope and further promoted my own health in so many ways.
As I am nearing the one-year anniversary of my open-heart surgery, I have my sights set on completing 26.2 miles at the Chicago Marathon on October 8th.
Alongside my run I am organizing this fundraiser with the goal of raising $5,000 to be directed toward the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. This division of the clinic works to find new ways to prevent, predict, diagnose, and treat rare diseases.
Thank you in advance for your contribution and words of encouragement as I get closer to the race! Any donation small or large will make an impact and continue to help inspire hope and health for millions of others.
By no means will this be easy, but I also know it won’t be as hard as some of the other trials I’ve faced in recent history. I look forward to crossing the finish line and making an impact through this donation to Mayo Clinic.
All the best,
Mac
If you would like to learn more about Mayo Clinic, feel free to visit their website:
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/about-us
If you would like to learn more about the Center for Individualized Medicine:
https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-individualized-medicine
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