Dr. Johana Oviedo joined the Project Purple team for the 2024 South Norwalk 5k to celebrate her incredible strength and hard-fought recovery after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2023.
Preparing for Her Whipple
Johana was quickly scheduled for a Whipple to remove the tumor on the head of her pancreas. Having extensive medical knowledge as a doctor herself, Johana was nervous about the surgery.
“In medical school, you learn about the Whipple and it is considered the epitome of surgery; it’s one of the toughest surgeries to undergo. It is a really difficult recovery,” says Johana.
Knowing how complex the surgery is, Johana was worried about her then 1-year-old and 4-year-old if the surgery didn’t go as planned. It was extremely difficult to think about a life for them without her. Her husband provided unwavering support, assuring her their family would be okay. Johana remembers him saying, “We’re going to make it through this.” His words were comforting as her surgery date, December 22, 2023, quickly approached.
A Surprising Milestone
Johana had been a casual runner in her twenties, but balancing a demanding medical residency and her family responsibilities put running on the back burner. She rediscovered running after her surgery as she began the process of trusting her body again.
“When my medical issues happened, I began to feel that I needed something to work towards so that I could feel stronger. I needed to remind myself that I was healthier. That’s when I started jogging again,” she says.
Recovery was difficult. “I remember my goal was to walk around the wing of the hospital,” Johana recalls. “They make you walk around the hallway. And I remember walking, holding onto my little IV pole and making it around the unit. And it was such a task. And then going from that to I’m just going to run today.”
Johana has made leaps and bounds. Her first run, just four months post-surgery, was April 24, 2024. After starting with a quarter of a mile, she self-evaluated. Realizing she wasn’t in pain and she wasn’t out of breath, she decided to keep going. She surprised herself by running an impressive distance of 1.25 miles.
2024 SoNo 5k
Her morning runs eventually became longer. “When I made it past that 3-mile mark on my runs, I thought I really am ready for this 5k,” she says. Johana had signed up for the 2024 SoNo 5k right after her surgery, but had her doubts if she was going to be able to do it. As her training progressed, she felt like she was ready for her first official post-Whipple race.
On race day, she met other Project Purple runners. Running for their loved ones, they were all surprised she was running for herself, especially because the 5k was less than a year after her operation.
“The 5k was definitely the longest run and the fastest mile I had,” says Johana. “I think it was the energy from the people. It was heartwarming to be around them.” Running alongside people with the same mission was an extra boost of motivation for her.
Finding Freedom in Running
Running is freeing for Johana. When she runs, she thinks of the progress she has made. Her journey from her time in the hospital when she was struggling to walk down the hallway with her IV pole, to now running long distances and maintaining fast speeds is nothing short of incredible.
“I feel like running is a present to myself,” says Johana. Every run is a reminder that she is healthy, that she is on the other side of her life-changing diagnosis.
At the time of writing this, Johana is gearing up for the 2025 New York City Half Marathon.
If you’d like to support her fundraising efforts, you can donate here! She also created an Instagram account recently for those who would like to follow her on her journey: instagram.com/strongerwitheveryrun/
If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.