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VNA Care Team Members Taking part in 127th Annual Boston Marathon  

With the Boston Marathon just days away, we’d like to send our best wishes to Kelly Maguire, OTR/L, CWLT (pictured left), Nancy Ryan, PT, COS-C (pictured center), clinical services manager, and Lisa Sternstrom, OTR/L (pictured right), who will be taking part in the 127th race.

This will be Kelly’s first time volunteering at the Boston Marathon. As a lymphedema and a wound therapist with a medical background, she’ll be stationed at the finish line medic tent. She’ll be putting her occupational therapy skills to use in the street sweeper crew, assisting runners and athletes using wheelchairs. Kelly said, “I look forward to helping the runners and the community.”

Nancy’s passionate about running, and has been part of the Boston Marathon as both a runner and volunteer. She appreciates the Marathon’s rich history (it’s the oldest annual marathon in the world), and feels fortunate to have run in this highly competitive event four times.

This will be Nancy’s 11th year as a volunteer. She’ll be at bib distribution, which involves runner identification and distribution of runners’ packets. She said, “I love this role as it allows me to meet runners from all over the world.”

Nancy added, “The atmosphere and mission of the Boston Marathon — commitment to a world where people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle — are why I volunteer.”

Lisa has devoted much of her life to running and ranks among the top 10% of runners in her age group worldwide! A member of the Central Mass Striders running club, this will be her third Boston Marathon run.

Lisa remembered her father taking her to watch the Boston Marathon when she was a teenager, and told him that someday she’d be among those runners. Lisa made that dream come true in 2021, with her 87-year-old dad proudly cheering her on at Heartbreak Hill.

“Running a marathon is so similar to living life. You’re going to have challenges, and you’re going to have obstacles and setbacks. But if you just take one step at a time and break down your big goal into smaller goals, you’re going to get there,” said Lisa. It’s an approach she applies to patient care and finding ways to help each person achieve their own goals for their health.

Lisa has been in training for the past four months. She said the crowds at the race are spectacular and “just carry you. For the tougher miles near the end, I have my family and friends pick a mile and I think of them during that mile. It keeps me focused and gets my mind off the pain that I might be feeling at that point in the marathon.”

Running’s become a way of life for Lisa, and she said the sport helps her mentally, physically, and socially. She won’t have long to rest after the Boston Marathon before she begins training for the Chicago Marathon this fall!

Posted: April 7, 2023