A Marathon Mindset

As marathon runners, we learn a lot along the way: how to cope with the ups and the downs; how to focus on the end goal though it seems so far away; how to push through the mental and physical barriers that challenge you on the journey.

For Nathan Thompson, these marathon experiences are what he draws on as a nephrologist (a doctor specializing in kidney conditions) who has been working tirelessly to support patients through the COVID pandemic in New York City.

The 54-time marathon runner and father of three has had to put his family life, and running, on hold since March as the number of COVID patients with kidney problems made Bellevue Hospital an epicenter for treatment.

Nathan described his 2020 during a phone interview between shifts: “New York City was a COVID learning curve for many states and countries in a lot of ways. Physicians had to learn how to manage the virus and the side effects, one of them being acute kidney injury, which is my area of work.

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