Breast oncologist advises to always ‘remember your why’ when taking on new challenges
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Editor’s Note: This is part three of a three-part Healio Exclusive series on Women on a Mission. Part one and two can be viewed here and here.
Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, was not born a runner.
She had severe asthma as a child that she eventually outgrew, and later began running in high school for fun, which she credits to her father.
“My dad would go on a loop around our neighborhood, and I eventually worked my way up to joining him on running this loop. At the time, that loop was long and horrible and I would yell at him the entire time — it was probably close to only 4 miles,” Comander, director of breast oncology and survivorship at Mass General Cancer Center in Waltham and at Newton-Wellesley, medical director and director of lifestyle medicine at Mass General Cancer Center, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a Healio Women in Oncology Peer Perspective Board Member, told Healio.
“I started running for exercise and was never competitive or participated in races. I never considered myself an athlete,” she continued. “I just ran to help clear my mind, and it’s a great way to get in some exercise.”
Throughout undergrad school at Harvard University, Comander said that she would run along a path on the Charles River.
“It was easy to fall in love with running outside during college when you can run along the Charles River. It is so scenic and beautiful,” she said. “Later during medical school at Yale School of Medicine, I had even more beautiful trails to run along. It was a great way to take a break from the stress of school. I ran for fun during that time and never even contemplated running a race, ever.”
Boston Marathon
During residency in Boston, Comander recalled telling her husband that she wanted to run the Boston Marathon someday, to which he smiled and suggested she start with a half marathon first.
“It was just something on my mind for some time,” she said. “I knew about the Boston Marathon because it’s a major annual event in Boston that occurs every third Monday of April, also known as Patriots Day. It’s a festive day for the entire city — schools are closed and the Red Sox play, too! Since my undergraduate days, I always knew that the Boston Marathon was a big thing and someday I wanted to participate in it.”
In 2014, the year after the horrific Boston Marathon bombing, Comander had the opportunity to join the team at Mass General Hospital and participate in her first race. She discovered a love for marathon running, and on April 15, she will participate in her 11th consecutive Boston Marathon.
“For most who participate in the marathon, it’s an amazing athletic achievement because one has to qualify and there are very stringent criteria — you have to be a serious, hardcore athlete to qualify — not me! Or you can run to raise money for charity, which is what I do,” she said.
For the fourth year in a row, Comander will run in support of the Ellie Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides essential support — including transportation to appointments, assistance with groceries and nutritional assistance, childcare, etc. — for those receiving treatment for breast cancer in Massachusetts.
“A dear patient of mine, Nicole, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during her pregnancy, received funding from the Ellie Fund to cover the costs for a baby nurse for 2 months,” she said. “I am proud to support the Ellie Fund, since this organization provides extraordinary support for patients to make their quality of life better as they are going through treatment. That dear patient of mine benefited so much from the Ellie Fund and is also running in the Boston Marathon this year to raise funds for the organization. She is an inspiration.”
Comander will run this year in honor of another dear patient of hers, Lynne, who was diagnosed with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer in 2016 with two young children at home.
“Lynne continues to receive HER2-directed therapy for a brain metastasis, and she is a remarkable source of inspiration,” she said.
A ‘support system’
The continued motivation to run, according to Comander, is that running is a way to clear her mind and a form of self-care.
“Our job as oncologists can be so incredibly stressful. We love our jobs, and we go above and beyond to take care of our patients, perform research and serve in leadership roles. But we all pack so much into the day. For those of us with children, that is another full-time job,” she said. “I love running. I get up early in the morning when everyone’s asleep — a time when nobody needs me — and I head outside and go for a run because it helps me to get ready for my day. Once I get back home, I’m always in a better mood and feel ready to start my day. It is the best way for me to carve out time for myself and has been wonderful in that aspect.”
Running has also led to the formation of new friendships for Comander.
“During the pandemic in the early part of 2020, I became friends with a colleague at Mass General, Gabriela S. Hobbs, MD,” she said. “We were both training for the Boston Marathon, which got postponed because of the pandemic, but we started to run together and it was a wonderful way to develop a new friendship and new support system. We now have a group of women physician runners who we run with all the time, and we came up with a funny name for our group, Wicked Smaht Runnahs, in our Boston accents. There are six of us and we support each other to do amazing things — we also peer pressure each other to do some of the races that no sane person would do.”
Accountability, community and connection are important in life and career, Comander added.
“Not everyone is a runner and I get that,” she said. “We all have our thing. Some of us love running. Some of us prefer cycling, kayaking, Zumba classes or lifting weights. Some of us don’t like any of that, but we know it’s important for our overall health, and it is important to find what you love and what brings you joy. It is important to find what helps to support you in that goal.”
Comander referenced a favorite quote of hers from her favorite elite runner, Des Linden, who won the 2018 Boston Marathon.
“That year’s marathon was a horrible weather day in Boston. It was monsoon conditions — rain, wind, cold, truly epic weather conditions. [Linden] won the race that year, and she has this quote for whatever someone may be tackling in their life: ‘Remember, your why. When things get hard, you have the decision to fail or you can remember your why.’ I often think about that quote when I’m running. Why am I doing this? Why am I getting up at 5 am to get outside and run? Yes, it’s because I love running, but I’m also training for the Boston Marathon so I can support the Ellie Fund and bring awareness to a nonprofit that supports individuals with breast cancer. Thinking about your ‘why,’ no matter what you take on as a challenge, is so important.”
For more information:
Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, can be reached at acomander@mgh.harvard.edu. Fundraising link: www.givengain.com/champion/amy-comander-366355.
Collapse
Healio Interview
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts