“My Job is More Than a Job”

Author: Meg Fay, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager, Excellence in Healthcare Delivery, GO2 for Lung Cancer

My name is Meg, and I had the pleasure of experiencing the NYC Marathon 2024 as part of the GO2 Endurance Team. Coach Seth guided our team, offering multiple training programs that we could tailor to our individual needs and training webinars on everything from nutrition to injury prevention and beyond. We could follow along with our programs on the Final Surge app, which was fantastic and easy to use. We also had access to a private Facebook group, connecting us to others training for marathons at the same time—at all levels of fitness, age, and experience.

If you’ve ever trained for a marathon or any physical event, you know that things never go exactly as planned. It is all about the big picture and hitting that final goal. Missing a workout or run here or there is both normal and okay! Access to Coach Seth and the rest of the team in training was a helpful and supportive reminder that others were working, too, even though we might not see each other.

My “why”

There were many reasons I wanted to join the GO2 Endurance Team to run the New York City Marathon, beginning with the fact that lung cancer has affected my family in many ways. I lost my aunt to lung cancer in 1991. My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014, and in November 2024, she’ll be a decade out! She is living large and enjoying life to the fullest. My uncle on my father’s side is currently a stage 3 (III) survivor and is almost two years out from diagnosis.

I had been working in the business world for over a decade when I decided to return to school to become a nurse. I immediately began working on a floor with patients recovering from lung cancer surgery. I found my way into a nurse navigator role, which allowed me to work very closely with lung cancer patients and their families, especially at the beginning of their journey. I found passion and fulfillment in educating and caring for these patients and their families.

Luckily, a role supporting people working with lung cancer patients opened at GO2 for Lung Cancer in 2022, and I’ve been lucky enough to have worked here since then. My job is more than a job. Funding the mission to relentlessly confront lung cancer on every front, every day, for everyone is a calling. Fundraising can be uncomfortable and challenging, but a clear purpose makes it easy. GO2 was there to support us in our fundraising efforts at every step—with reminder emails, helpful tips, and ideas for what was working for other team members.

My road to NYC in November 2024 was bumpy as I dealt with unexpected life changes and a cancer diagnosis early in the year. After surgery, treatment, and finally being cleared to run again in late June, I felt fortunate to have so much support from GO2 getting me to that finish line!