Athletic pursuits are linked to Nathanael Gomes Tejeda’s cancer experience. In 2019, as a 17-year-old high school senior in Nashua, New Hampshire, he reached the pinnacle of his high school wrestling career by placing in the state tournament. The next day, during an ultrasound to examine Nathanael’s swollen lymph nodes, doctors diagnosed him with stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His last day of radiation treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital coincided with a football showdown between New Hampshire and Vermont all-star high school teams, where he helped his teammates come away with a win.
Now, Nathanael is pursuing his graduate degree in exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and plans to research how exercise can benefit patients undergoing cancer treatment.
And on April 21, 2025, Nathanael will add one more connection between sports and cancer: running the Boston Marathon to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment, the Home Base program and emergency medicine at Mass General. The day will mark a full-circle moment for Nathanael, as he participated in Mass General for Children’s (MGfC) marathon patient partner program in 2019. The program pairs a Mass General Marathon Team runner with a current pediatric cancer patient to motivate the runner and build community and connections. Nathanael’s 2019 partner, Eva Melanson, served as a role model to him; this spring, he has the chance to do the same for another patient.
“I get to say to him, ‘I was literally in your shoes five years ago,’” Nathanael says. “The world is yours to conquer after that. The cancer shouldn’t prevent you from living your life and moving forward.”
“They made a very terrible set of circumstances feel like a walk in the park — a walk that no kid should ever have to endure. But for those who do, they deserve the same care and support I was lucky to receive, plus some.”
Getting Back Up, With a Smile
Most people know Nathanael by his nickname: Smiley. It’s another thing he gained from sports. “When I started playing football, I was running around the field with no idea what was happening, falling down all over the place,” he says. “But I always got back up with a huge smile on my face.”
Nathanael did his best to bring that positive attitude to his cancer treatments at Mass General. He likes to tell people that the eight months of chemotherapy and radiation were “the easiest hard time I’ve ever gone through,” thanks to the care from his oncologist Mary Huang, MD, nurse practitioner Samantha Vincent, CPNP, and the team of nurses, psychologists, social workers and child life specialists who worked together to help heal his body and spirit.
“They made a very terrible set of circumstances feel like a walk in the park — a walk that no kid should ever have to endure,” Nathanael says. “But for those who do, they deserve the same care and support I was lucky to receive, plus some.”
The 2019 Boston Marathon — where Eva ran as his patient partner — was the first Nathanael ever attended. He found her determination to conquer the race to be inspirational, and he developed a deep appreciation for those who were running not just to reach their own goals, but to support kids like him. Watching her finish the race gave him the hope he might someday do the same.
The Next Challenge
After running a half marathon a year ago, Nathanael decided to finally sign up for Mass General’s Boston Marathon team. It’s the latest in a series of ways he’s given back to his community. When Nathanael received a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation during his cancer treatment, he asked that the organization transform his high school gym. His career goal is to earn his Doctor of Philosophy in exercise oncology, using the knowledge he gains to improve health outcomes and quality of life for pediatric cancer patients.
“Throughout my treatment, I kept lifting and staying active, and I found it very helpful,” Nathanael says. “I love kids, and I want to bring my experience to that population. They’re next up in changing the world. If we can help them be as healthy and strong as possible, they’ll be able to succeed.”
For the challenge of running his first marathon, Nathanael is approaching the race with confidence. Even if it takes him six or seven hours, he says, he’ll finish. And he knows that he’ll welcome the extra boost of motivation when he sees his family, friends and MGfC patient partner at the Mass General spectator area at mile 20.
“The cool thing about having a patient partner is we show them our bodies are capable of achieving so much, while they’re also doing something very tough for them physically and emotionally,” Nathanael says. “These kids going through tough times, just trying to live their lives and understand what’s going on. We feed off their energy and they feed off our energy, with all of us being able to do hard things.”
If you would like to support Nathanael, click here.
To learn more about Mass General’s marathon team, click here.
