SAN ANTONIO — On Thursday, radiation oncologist Dr. Jennifer Lee will leave work to get some fresh air. A whole lot of fresh air, as a matter of face: She'll be embarking on a five-day, 167-mile run towards Port Aransas.
Next Tuesday probably won't be a fun day at work.
"That's one of my concerns. What if I wake up one of these days in the weekend and it just isn't there?" the San Antonio doctor said. "I think I've gone through it enough and my adrenaline will override it; I'll definitely pay for it later. That's one of the things of (multiple sclerosis). I can push myself, but I'll definitely pay for it later."
Lee was diagnosed three years ago with MS. It came as a huge shock. She had just moved to Texas to start a competitive residency program in radiation oncology, set a personal record at the Chicago Marathon and then took No. 5 out of all females in her first ultramarathon.
"From the outside, it looks like I was living a normal life," she said. "But nobody knew the struggles I was going through."
She has continued to battle through several setbacks. Running helps to give her hope. Her goal is to raise awareness for this disease and let no one suffer alone or in silence.
"The response I've gotten is amazing," Lee said. "There are so many other people in medicine who have...opened up to me about it and have (also) gone through it."
During residency, there was this notion her MS diagnosis would make her look weak. Would colleagues believe she could handle the job? She battled the disease quietly until graduation. It was at that point she wanted to bring attention to her MS in a big way.
"I decided, once I graduated, I would come out and do this big relay across America. And here it is. A little bit different than how it was supposed to go, but here it is," Lee said with a laugh.
"MS Run the US" is charity organization dedicated to tackling a 3,260-mile Ultra Relay race spanning the length of America. The 19 participants help raise funds and awareness to combat multiple sclerosis.
Lee was supposed to run from Ohio to Pennsylvania during her segment, but because of the pandemic, the relay has gone virtual. Despite the adjustment, Lee will still run from San Antonio and finish with a jump in the Gulf of Mexico.
"I've run enough training miles through San Antonio...I've run enough loops through my neighborhood that I didn't feel like it would give me the same feeling of being something so epic," she said. "I like the point-to-point system, just felt more like I was doing something that was a really big deal. Plus, I have the added benefit of finishing at the beach. I get to jump in the water and have this poetic finishing."
Here is another change. Her run was supposed to be spread across six days. Thanks to her work schedule, she now has to do it in five.
Not that she's thinking anything of it.
"I mean, what's the difference? Twenty-seven (miles per day) or 35, it's fine," she said, laughing.
Lee's fiance will keep a close eye on her throughout her run. The first few nights, they'll drive back to San Antonio and pick up where they left off the following day. The radiation oncologist is just hoping her MS will cooperate during the grueling stretch.
"MS is so variable. There are days I wake up and I can run 30 miles and feel amazing—feel like I can keep going. There are days I go out to run three miles and it feels like torture," the New York native said.
That is just the reality she faces every day with this disease. Once she starts running, though, she will not stop. She has learned so much about herself on this journey and she is ready to take care of business.
When she heads into work on Tuesday she might be hurting, but she will rest easy knowing she raised more than $10,000 for the cause.
"It's just kind of amazing to see the resiliency of the human spirit, the body and see what we're able to do," Lee said. "On that same (note), when I did come out and tell everyone what was going on, the outpouring and response was amazing. It was very much the opposite of what I was expecting because I was made to think this was so negative and I shouldn't tell anyone because people will think I'm weak.
"It was very much the opposite. Everyone thought it was so amazing that I was able to go through my residency and be a practicing radiation oncologist and do all this running and yoga, CrossFit, training and all these crazy things while having MS. So, I've realized it's very inspiring and something no one should be ashamed of."
Watch our full interview with Lee below.