CARMEL — On Friday morning, Dr. Magdelana Lewandowska is heading out on one of her training runs.
"Today I'm running 10 miles," she said.
Lewandowska, a physician at Innovative Hematology, is preparing for her first New York City Marathon while raising awareness — and money — for the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation.
She’s no stranger to long-distance running, having started during medical school.
“As a form of stress relief, which was, you know, to diversify studying and the long hours in the library, and it became a passion over the years, where it really helped me with mental clarity,” she said.
Now, Lewandowska is using that passion to make a difference. Through her marathon run, she’s raising funds for the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation.
“The mission is to provide education and advocate for patients with bleeding disorders and to improve research in order to decrease the amount of time to diagnoses and ensure patients are managed to achieve their best possible outcomes,” she said.
According to the foundation, more than 4,000 Hoosiers live with an inheritable bleeding disorder — conditions that often require lifelong care. Lewandowska said the severity of these disorders can vary greatly.
“People may just not know for years until they bleed too much after a surgery. There are some where people can bleed spontaneously in their joints or muscles. It can really affect their quality of life,” she said.
Lewandowska says some of the warning signs are easy bruising, heavy menstrual bleeding, or nose bleeds that happen more than once a month.
“Needing things like blood transfusions after surgery or bleeding too much after simple procedures can all be warning signs of a bleeding disorder.”
Lewandowska has a goal of 3,500 dollars. If you would like to donate you can visit this page.
