Scott A. Swanson M.D., one of NOC’s Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeon completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 8, 2023, to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The significance of the fundraiser and this particular race has deep meaning for Dr. Swanson.
Fundraising for the American Diabetes Association is Personal
Dr. Swanson ran the 2023 Chicago Marathon (with a time of 4:53:47) to celebrate his silver anniversary and to raise money for a cause that has struck home. “I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic last year,” said Dr. Swanson. “As an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon, I see patients every day with diabetes, and now this condition has become a battle that I am fighting myself,” he added.
Dr. Swanson is highly motivated to raise monies for the ADA because his collection will directly fund desperately needed research and help over 30 million adults and children in the United States that are currently living with diabetes. Another alarming statistic to note is: in a span of one day, over 4,100 people will be newly diagnosed with this terrible disease.
Many orthopaedic foot and ankle patients with diabetes are seen daily by NOC’s physicians. Dr. Swanson has observed that some patients are managing the disease well and living a full life. “Far too many patients, however, have complications that affect their quality of life and ability to participate in normal day-to-day activities, he said. “Patients frequently end up in the hospital and some have amputations of their toes, foot, or leg,” he added.
Your Donation Can Help
Please become a sponsor of Dr. Swanson’s run and donate any amount online here; you are able to contribute until his goal is met. NOC hosted a charity collection day where employees who opted to wear jeans had their donated money pooled and forwarded to Dr. Swanson’s “Team Diabetes” run fund.
The 25-year Significance of the Chicago Marathon to Dr. Swanson
In 1998, twenty-five years ago, medical student Scott Swanson ran his first marathon in Chicago. Back then, Swanson was new to the sport with only several months of experience at local Omaha-based 5k and 10k races. “Running a marathon seemed superhuman to me,” Swanson said, but he got himself to the Windy City for his premiere distance race of 26.2 miles.
“My time was slow, 4:23:59, but I finished [The 1998 Chicago Marathon],” said Swanson. “That was my only goal. I was sure I would never run another marathon,” he added.
Chicago was definitely not his last marathon, but this race sparked a wondrous goal—to run a marathon in all 50 states! Swanson crushed this 50-state tour on November 16, 2014, but amazingly he continued to add to his geo-trek achievements. Marathon totals for Dr. Swanson currently equal 56 races across the USA, plus Washington DC, and two international races in Stockholm and Berlin.
Returning to Chicago 25 years later proved to be a powerful bookend to punctuate his running career. Read more about Dr. Swanson’s journey, which he calls a “Marathon Era” chock full of humble and humorous commentary on his Cut & Run Blog.
“As a practicing orthopaedic surgeon, I have to balance the demands of a busy practice with the training necessary to reach my goals. Some days, quite literally, all I do is cut and run. In my blog, I would like to share training, health, and life lessons learned from 25 years of marathons and medicine.”
Dr. Swanson, M.D. has been performing orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeries at NOC since 2008.
Call (402) 436- 2000 to schedule an appointment with a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon.