Photo courtesy of Wally Gobetz, Creative Commons license
CHATHAM – Liberty Commons Physician and hospitalist at Cape Cod Hospital Dr. Marcial Santos is planning to run the Boston Marathon on April 18 in honor of medical patients who passed away due to COVID-19.
A physician in charge of patients admitted to the hospital, Santos witnessed first hand the acute effects of COVID-19 on patients during the early stages of the pandemic.
”It was so hard to see people pass without being able to do much of anything, especially at the hospital setting at the beginning,” said Santos.
”I could give oxygen, prescribe steroids, try other methods, but too often it wasn’t enough,” he said. “So I decided to train to run a marathon to honor those patients who don’t have a chance to breathe fresh air anymore. I don’t want to take them for granted.”
A Cape resident since 2005, Marcial joined the Esplanade Association in Boston, a group dedicated to supporting open space along the Charles River.
The association is acting as umbrella sponsor for his marathon bid, which requires $11,000 to qualify for the event.
Santos will soon be leaving his role as a hospitalist at Cape Cod Hospital to join a practice as a primary care provider in Yarmouth.
To donate to Dr. Santos’s fundraising efforts, click here.
By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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