Goodwin university respiratory therapist charity run

Respiratory Therapist Runs Remembrance Race for Lives Lost During COVID-19

Goodwin Respiratory Care graduate Adam Levine is an avid runner. He has laced up twice for the Hartford Marathon and sported a racing bib during the Newport Marathon in Rhode Island. On a mission to fulfill his lifelong dream of participating in the Boston Marathon, Levine learned that the Boston Athletic Association plans a virtual race in October 2021. Instead of an in-person event, participants will receive their medals after using an approved tracking device to verify that they ran the required 26.2 miles continuously from start to finish.

“After the year we’ve been through, I thought about what I might do to benefit those affected by COVID-19,” Levine shared.

He decided to take the virtual marathon one step further by completing the event via a four-hour solo route from his home in Bristol to his workplace at Hartford Hospital. After hearing about Levine’s course of action, Hartford Hospital agreed to sponsor his run, directing all monies raised to the hospital’s COVID fund.

A lifelong learner since graduating from Goodwin, Levine is now a registered respiratory therapist who specializes in adult critical care (ACCS) and Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). He is also Advanced Cardio Vascular Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified. With his professional credentials, he knows all too well the profound impact the Coronavirus has had on his patients.

“I am dedicating my run to patients who lost their lives this past year from COVID,” Levine wrote on his GoFundMe page. “As a respiratory therapist at Hartford Hospital, I have worked side by side with incredible co-workers — doctors, respiratory therapists, and nurses who gave their all to help COVID patients. When family and friends were not allowed to come into the hospital to see their loved ones, all of our staff here at Hartford Hospital became their family; gave them a shoulder to cry on; and lent them a hand to hold. For the COVID patients who didn’t make it, we gave it our all.”

“I want to give back to the patients and families we’ve lost over the pandemic, so they know they are not forgotten,” Adam added.

If you are interested in supporting Adam’s philanthropic race and contributing to patients and families affected by COVID-19, please visit his GoFundMe or Facebook page to learn more.  

Learn more about the Respiratory Care program at Goodwin University.