The Long Road Back to Boston: Running Marathons With Leukemia

What we do when confronted with horrific news defines who we are and what we will be from that moment forward. Consequently, what would you do if an oncologist tells you that you have leukemia and a five-to-seven year life expectancy? To make things worse, he tells you to give up your passion (running marathons) for fear of shortening your life expectancy. This is what happened to Dr. Fields in January 2008. Yet, he refused to let leukemia deprive him of his passion. What he did next, made his diagnosis only life changing instead of life shattering. In February 2009, he set a goal to complete a marathon in every state and DC by the end of December 2012 - 51 marathons in 47 months. Along the way, he hoped to qualify again for the Boston Marathon. Join Dr. Fields as he attempts to reach his goal in spite of leukemia, cancer related fatigue, chemotherapy, and chemotherapy induced myelodysplasia (failure of the bone marrow to produce sufficient red and white blood cells). Interwoven are stories of his travels, loves, losses, and humorous childhood memories.