Building Solidarity for Severe, Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases: Team PEN-Plus Runs in Support

Members of Team PEN-Plus included, from left: Saohum Bagchi; Apoorva Gomber, associate advocacy director of the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity (CIS); Ramon Ruiz, instructional designer for CIS; and Gene Bukhman, executive director of CIS.

“I run in support of the millions of people worldwide who live with type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate advocacy director of the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “I’ve run a marathon before and fundraised in the past. Still, this event was special because of the person who motivated my fundraising.”

The event was the Boston Athletic Association’s annual 10K, and the person was Estrela, a 12-year-old newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in rural Mozambique. Until Estrela met Dr. Gomber and Dr. Aaron Kowalski, chief executive officer of JDRF International, during a PEN-Plus Partnership visit to Mozambique in March, Estrela had never met anyone else with type 1 diabetes. She had assumed the diagnosis meant the end of her life, and she was shocked that anyone could live into adulthood with the disease.

Estrela’s assumption was not entirely misplaced; children with type 1 diabetes in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa often die within a year of diagnosis. Yet, Dr. Gomber points out, that reality is as medically unnecessary as it is morally unconscionable.

“I will keep fighting for Estrela and everyone else living with type 1 because I felt what she felt when I was diagnosed with the disease as a 13-year-old in India,” Dr. Gomber said. “The feeling of being alone is overwhelming, and injecting insulin without anyone understanding is isolating. It feels very dark.”

At Dr. Gomber’s initiative, a small group of runners grew into a 10K team in support of PEN-Plus, an integrated healthcare delivery model that brings lifesaving care to the world’s poorest children and young adults living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. As the Boston co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network, the Center for Integration Science works to implement PEN-Plus in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where 90 percent of the world’s poorest billion live.

A dozen runners—including Dr. Gene Bukhman, executive director of the Center for Integration Science—represented Team PEN-Plus at the Boston Athletic Association’s 10K on June 25. The race this year drew nearly 8,000 athletes from 49 states and 102 countries to Boston.

Team PEN-Plus raised $3,245 in donations, along with a $1,000 bonus from the Harvard University Employee Credit Union. The funds will support Voices for PEN-Plus, a network of advocates who work to raise awareness and support for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease.

“We plan to make Team PEN-Plus an annual fundraising tradition at the Center for Integration Science,” Dr. Gomber said. “We want to encourage others to participate next year. Not only is the race fun, but it’s inspiring to help ensure equitable care for the world’s most vulnerable people.”

Despite the day’s scorching sun and high humidity, Dr. Gomber said, Team PEN-Plus proved that anything is possible with enough passion for an important cause.

“PEN-Plus is changing the narrative by caring for those excluded by social injustices and poverty,” Dr. Gomber said. “Running for PEN-Plus makes me feel liberated. It’s not the pace but the people whose lives I hope to change. Every mile gives me hope that we are moving forward together, one step at a time.”