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RN Inspired by VNA Care Patients to Run the Boston Marathon

Over the years, Melisa Mantha, RN, has listened as patients shared their stories of running the Boston Marathon – stories of endurance, determination, and triumph. This year, after more than a decade as a home health care nurse at VNA Care, she’s no longer just hearing those stories. She’s becoming one of them.

Running has long been part of Melisa’s life, though it took time for her to imagine herself taking on such an iconic course with the notorious Heartbreak Hill. She first discovered running as a cross-country athlete in school, but stepped away as her career took priority. After the birth of her first son, she returned to running as a way to stay healthy both physically and mentally. What began as a personal outlet grew into something more.

Melisa has worked her way from 5Ks and 10Ks to half-marathons, eventually completing full marathons in Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire. Having her Boston Marathon bib in hand “feels almost unreal,” she said. “It’s just exciting all around.”

That excitement is grounded in perspective shaped by her work helping patients recover from a wide range of health conditions and injuries or learning to manage a chronic disease. Melisa encourages patients to adopt a healthy diet, stay hydrated, exercise, and make other lifestyle changes that will support their long-term wellbeing and independence at home.

“Everything that I’m teaching my patients, I have to make sure that I’m also doing,” said Melisa. “Consistency is key.”

Balancing life as a nurse, wife, and mother of two young boys, Melisa has built a routine rooted in discipline and flexibility. She works three 12-hour shifts at VNA Care, using her days off for long training runs that can run several hours. Other days focus on workouts using a treadmill, bike, or strength training to help her stay strong and avoid injuries.

Every mile Melisa logs has added meaning as her run is dedicated to helping patients facing cancer through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Boston Marathon team. Melisa has cared for many VNA Care patients with cancer, including one of her former teachers who received treatment through Dana-Farber while being support at home by VNA Care’s home health care team.

Race day itself promises to be especially emotional. For the first time in her years of racing, her family, including her husband, children, and mother, will be there in person, waiting near the end of the course to cheer her on. Like many runners, Melisa hopes to beat her personal best marathon time of three hours and 58 minutes.

“I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, right,’ when someone asked if I’d ever run Boston,” said Melisa with a laugh. “And now, here I am.”

Her journey reflects the message she shares with patients every day: progress starts with a single step.

“You can do almost anything if you work for it,” Melisa said. “It’s not impossible. You just have to start.”