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In our "Why I run" seriesThe Boston Marathon runners share what motivated them to travel from Hopkinton to Boston on April 15, 2019, for a distance of 26.2 miles.
First name: Mikayla O'Brien
Age: 24
Of: East Bridgewater, Mass.
Bib number: 27494
Twenty years ago, the Boston Medical Center saved my father's life. For this reason, I will join the BMC team and participate in the 2019 Boston Marathon.
May 23, 1999 is a date that my family and I will remember for the rest of our lives. As a police officer for the city of East Bridgewater, my father was cleaning up the scene of an accident that night and was heading to his cruiser when he was hit by a car. My father had hit the windshield, jumped from the hood and was thrown on the side of the road. He was a victim of a hit and run and the driver was never found. Due to the seriousness of my father's injuries, he was taken to BMC.
The accident caused the fracture of all the bones of my father's face, a fractured skull and loss of cerebrospinal fluid. He had to undergo an emergency tracheotomy. The surgeons had resurfaced, built a new forehead and used more than 50 titanium plates and screws to restore his face. His teeth were sewn after breaking his palette and his mouth shut to allow time for his heel. He tore his meniscus, ACL, MCL and PCL, which required seven surgeries to repair. Surgeons worked tirelessly, surgery after surgery, to replenish his face and leg, and the nurses worked tirelessly to support my father and my family.
My father is a fighter and has beaten every day to become stronger. His dedication to his work is admirable and I am so proud of him. The Boston Medical Center has given my dad life back and has entrusted the work of my dreams as a critical care nurse. It's now my turn to give them back.
Discover our entire series "Why I run".
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Editor's Note: The entry may have been slightly modified for clarity or grammar.
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