Sport | “When we ran the Amsterdam UMC Run together for the first time, Astrid was still in a wheelchair”
This coming Sunday, 25 May, the annual Amsterdam UMC Run will take place around and through Amsterdam UMC. Cardiologist and intensivist Wim Lagrand has been taking part since 2019 alongside his former patient, Astrid Breton, who was on his ICU ward. “Being cheered on by the crowd as though I’ve achieved something remarkable really touches me and gives me such a boost.”
Lagrand and Breton were paired up as ‘run buddies’ six years ago. Since then, they have taken part in the ICU Challenge each year, in which a former ICU patient, accompanied by a family member or caregiver, covers five kilometres during the Amsterdam UMC Run. Whether in a wheelchair, walking, jogging or running, the only thing that matters is that they cross the finish line together. The money they raise goes towards research to improve ICU rehabilitation and aftercare.
In 2015, Breton (57) suffered an acute pancreatitis. She spent seven and a half months in the Intensive Care Unit. “Wim was one of the doctors treating me at the time, although I hardly remember much of it,” she says. “My husband actually knew him better than I did.”
Lagrand (60) is a cardiologist-intensivist at Amsterdam UMC. This means he handles general intensive-care duties, but – drawing on his specialty in cardiology – is particularly involved with complex heart cases in the ICU. “I recall Astrid’s journey as long and complex,” he says. “She required several operations – a considerable strain on her body – and there was a large treatment team of numerous physicians, nurses and allied health professionals.”
Buddy
The real meeting between the doctor and former ICU patient—outside the confines of the intensive-care ward—didn’t take place until years after Breton’s ICU stay. After a successful first participation in the Amsterdam UMC Run in 2018, she signed up again in 2019. This time, she was paired with Lagrand. “He’s a very spontaneous and genuine doctor,” she recalls, “and we just clicked.” Since then, they have taken part together every year, now for the sixth consecutive time.
As a physician, Lagrand has seen Breton make progress year on year. “That’s the beauty of having a regular buddy. When we first ran the Amsterdam UMC Run together, Astrid was still in a wheelchair. I handed her a box at the start and ran the course, while she was pushed in her wheelchair to the finish, where she waited for me so we could cross the line together.” Over the years, the distance Breton could cover on foot increased. Breton: “For the past two years, I’ve been able to run the entire route.”
An amazing happening
The sense of solidarity at the Amsterdam UMC Run is one of the reasons Lagrand always takes part. “It’s brilliant to share a running event like this, as an institution. It mirrors the team spirit on the ICU, where countless team members are involved.”
The doctor also runs to raise funds for research into Post-Intensive Care Syndrome: the physical and psychological after-effects of an ICU stay. Breton still experiences those consequences daily: she tires easily after exertion, struggles with balance when walking or standing, and suffers chronic bowel problems because a portion of her small intestine had to be removed following her pancreatitis.
While Breton sometimes feels she has little control as a patient, the Amsterdam UMC Run gives her strength. “A marvellous event,” she calls it. “Being cheered on by the crowd as though I’ve achieved something extraordinary really resonates and gives me such a boost.” This year her very own fan club—her husband, daughter-in-law, son and grandson—will be there to cheer her on at the finish line.
Looking Back
The aim for the running pair this year is to complete the Amsterdam UMC Run together once more. “Astrid told me she even wants to try jogging a little stretch, but I’ll match her pace,” says the doctor. Breton adds, “It is quite nerve-wracking. Because of my illness and ICU stay I’m still a bit unsteady.”
As they walk side by side through the hospital, they also reflect on the past year together. “There’s often time to talk, but if it becomes too much, we chat afterwards,” explains Lagrand. Then, a year later, doctor and patient meet again at the start line of the Amsterdam UMC Run—ready for a new run and a fresh perspective on the year gone by.
