April 2, 1999

Lisa Sohl, RN, says she’s not a runner. In fact, she hates running. So it’s hard to believe that Sohl, a clinical nurse specialist on Ellison 14, is preparing to run all 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon this month.

But Sohl isn’t entering the marathon to break any records. She’s running for one of her patients, 7-year-old Katy Mahoney, who was treated at the MGH for a tumor in her right arm.

Katy came to the Ellison 14 Hematology/Oncology Unit in the fall of 1996 for a peripheral stem cell transplant and was one of the first pediatric patients on the floor. She had been through a difficult treatment course that included chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Sohl, one of Katy’s nurses, became close to the little girl and her parents.

Earlier this year Sohl heard about the MGH Marathon Team, which raises money for pediatric cancer research at the hospital. She immediately signed up to run in honor of Katy, even though she had never run a marathon before. She is now running 35 to 40 miles a week in preparation.

Sohl’s determination became even stronger two weeks ago: Katy, who had been well for two years, was readmitted to the hospital after doctors found a large tumor in her chest during a routine checkup. She now faces another two years of chemotherapy.

"This is my motivation," says Sohl, 38, hugging Katy. "She is with me in spirit all the time when I’m training. It is unbelievable."

Sohl is one of 45 runners on the 1999 MGH Marathon Team, which includes MGH physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, lab technicians and others. Like Sohl, each runner can be paired with a pediatric patient, ranging in age from 2 to 17, to motivate them to reach the finish line.

Recently when Sohl was running a half marathon and began to run out of steam in the last mile, all she had to do was think of Katy. "I was looking up at this hill, and I was tired and my knee was hurting," she says. "But I just put my head down and thought about Katy. I got the biggest smile on my face, and I plowed through."

And what does Katy think of her nurse running a marathon for her? "I’m just happy I’m not Lisa because I don’t like to run," she grins.

Lisa Sohl gives her inspiration, Katy, a hug.

© 1999 Massachusetts General Hospital.