3 minute read
Going the extra mile
In gratitude for life-saving care, a pediatric nurse gives back by running for Team NWH in the Boston Marathon.
Being part of the pediatric inpatient team at Newton-Wellesley, Christine Doherty, RN, loves the sense of purpose. “Everybody comes together in the moment,” she says. “We work together as a team for our patients and their families.”
This year, to support their work, she teamed up with nine other runners—and passionate NWH supporters—in raising funds for Newton-Wellesley through the 2024 Boston Marathon.
For Christine, it was her 16th straight Boston. In training, “on every run, you learn something,” she reflects. Along the way, “it’s amazing to see how far you’ve come.” For her, it’s a path to “finding my best self.”
Ever since she started running fundraising 5Ks after college, she’s been hooked. Running for Team NWH allowed her to contribute to a place that has touched her life in so many meaningful ways.
When she joined the NWH staff just over a year ago, she followed in the footsteps of her mom, who spent 30 years as a pediatric nurse at the hospital. “I feel like I grew up here,” Christine says. “It’s a hidden gem in the community.”
Along with being a source of life-saving care for family members, Newton-Wellesley saved her own life, she recounts. In 2018, after being hit by a car while biking during triathlon training, “my orthopedist and hematologist never gave up on my treatment.” The way her entire NWH care team went the extra mile for her inspired her to give back.
Six years later, she still gets emotional as she talks about it. Yet the experience helped her as a caregiver to gain perspective and have more empathy for her own patients.
On Marathon Monday, she proudly crossed the finish line on Boylston Street wearing her Team NWH singlet. Every day, she concludes, “it makes me feel proud to care for and educate my patients so they can reach their own finish line.”
Congratulations to the 10 dedicated members of Team NWH who ran the 2024 Boston Marathon on behalf of the hospital. Together, they raised more than $115,000 to support expert, compassionate care.
Avner Aliphas, MD
Ray Angelone
Ryan Daly
Christine Doherty
Carly Fay
Andrew Hinman
Mandy Holub
Samantha Newman
Leah O’Neill
Adina Taylor
Thanks, too, to the family, friends, neighbors, and staff who cheered them on at our celebration tent on the hospital lawn at Mile 17.
