October 18, 2022
Ten years ago, Megan Rosa struggled to walk because of her lupus – now she’s training for the race of a lifetime – the 26.2 mile NYC TCS Marathon!
How and why she is running to fundraise for the Lupus Research Alliance is one of the most inspiring stories we’ve heard from our Team Life Without Lupus runners.
When Megan started Emory University in the fall of 2012. She began feeling severe joint pain but thought it was stress related being away from her family for the first time and adjusting to college life. However, by Thanksgiving her pediatrician sent her to a rheumatologist and sooner afterwards, she was diagnosed with lupus.
Megan was determined to stay in school.
“My friends had to help me put my pants and shoes on because I couldn’t bend down. I had to be treated for kidney disease. I took medication that made me very irritable. Everyone else was going out and having fun, while I couldn’t even do my best in my classes.”
With the help of great doctors and devoted family and friends, Megan since finished college, moved back to NY, started a career she loves, and moved with her boyfriend to Brooklyn. While tapering down her steroid dose, she was able to exercise again and later running through Central Park. Having watched friends complete half-marathons and even full marathons, Megan was secretly jealous. So, she decided to train for the NYC Marathon.
Megan is proud of having completed the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon this past spring and is now training for the NYC Marathon in November. “How did I do it? I stuck to a beginning training program I found online. Seeing familiar faces, crowds of people, gave me the adrenaline boost I needed to finish. Now I know how much energy there will be at the Marathon, even from people I don’t know.”
Megan follows her marathon training schedule faithfully. “I take each day, each goal at a time. I know this week I must do 12 miles – I don’t think about how next week I’ll have to run 14!”
A top LRA Team Life Without Lupus fundraiser, Megan looks forward to running on behalf of the organization. “My parents and I did a lot of research on lupus organizations and when the Lupus Research Alliance came up in my search for a charity to run with, I knew this was the one for me. “
“A lot of people who run the Marathon have overcome something challenging. I had taken the ability to move for granted. But I remember well how hard it was to walk, and now training for this achievement is a way to say thank you to my body for fighting and pressing forward.”
Click here to donate to Megan and learn more about the Team Life Without Lupus team members.
