Fundraiser Spotlight: Picking Up the Baton and Running Forward

At age 52, Dave Wellman is training for his first marathon and fundraising as a member of the GO2 for Lung Cancer’s endurance team at the 2021 TCS NYC Marathon. The inspiration for this undertaking is Dave’s younger brother, Rod Wellman, a career Secret Service agent. View Dave’s video remembering Rod to find out more.

Growing up, Dave and Rod both developed a love for sports (especially football) and went on to pursue careers in law enforcement. Now Dave tells the rest of the story.

Dave Wellman, member of GO2 for Lung Cancer’s endurance team at the 2021 TCS NYC Marathon

During our careers, we had professional dealings with the same people, but never at the same time. Those people almost always made a reference to us being twins. Some of my favorite memories are of us running trail races together, and our frequent conversations about work, family, and football.  I miss those conversations dearly.

In 2018, Rod was diagnosed with lung cancer. Rod was a high school and collegiate athlete, and a lifelong fitness freak.  My initial reaction when Rod called me about his diagnosis was one of shock, confusion, and sadness. How could this have happened? People who lead active, healthy lifestyles, don’t get lung cancer….do they? True to form, Rod told me that he was going to beat it.

His physical and mental toughness were put on full display during his almost 3-year battle with lung cancer. I mean, who runs a 100K race in the desert with lung cancer?  There’s no denying his grit and determination were on another level.

However, I believe it is also important to note that Rod was a man of integrity. He was a devoted husband and father. He was humble. He was kind. He was committed to his job and his co-workers, often going to work after chemo/radiation.  ‘No Days Off’ is a common social media caption. Not for Rod, he lived it. He maintained a positive attitude throughout his battle, often telling others he was feeling good, when he wasn’t.

When Rod announced he was running the Javelina Jundred [100K race in Arizona that Rod ran in 2019 and used as a platform to raise awareness and fundraise for GO2 for Lung Cancer], my first thought was….do your doctors know about this?

But Rod was determined. He was shocked and disappointed to learn that lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., but received the least amount of research funding. Not only did he want to help raise money for the community that GO2 for Lung Cancer serves, he also wanted to heighten awareness about lung cancer.  He felt that he owed it to the lung cancer community to do something.

In Rod’s fundraising statement for the Javelina Jundred, he mentioned,”fighting for those who can no longer fight.” Unfortunately, with his death in January 2021 he has joined the ranks of those ‘who can no longer fight.’  By running the NYC Marathon for GO2 for Lung Cancer in 2021, I am merely picking up the baton and carrying it forward.  It’s the best way I know to honor him.

Rod’s wife, Susan, was awarded GO2 for Lung Cancer’s 2021 Summer Jam Lung Cancer Hero Award on his behalf.

If you have someone in your life you would like to honor by running the 2021 NYC Marathon, join here. To participate in other fundraising events, visit our community engagement webpages.