November 12, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
When a friend came into Steven Isenberg’s hospital in Indianapolis one day to be treated for cancer, Dr. Isenberg realized there was nothing more he could do. Overwhelmed by his friend’s courage, the doctor bestowed on him a medal he had just won for running the Chicago Marathon.
It was an emotional experience and prompted Dr. Isenberg to start giving his medals to other patients. Friends and acquaintances in other cities joined him, and in 2005 the nonprofit group Medals4Mettle was established.
The group, which is run by volunteers, has since donated more than 11,000 medals to patients at hospitals around the world.
“People are so grateful to be able to have the physical ability to finish a marathon,” says Dr. Isenberg, “and they want to transmit that courage to a patient who is suffering a much more difficult marathon.”
People donate their medals after learning about the group from newspapers, marathon organizers, or employees at running-gear stores. Volunteers collect the medals and then organize trips to hospitals.
Sometimes they recruit celebrities to help. Bonnie Blair, the Olympic speed skater, recently handed out medals in the burn unit of a Milwaukee children’s hospital.
Dr. Isenberg says he has been amazed by how rapidly the organization has expanded. It has no budget, but more than 70 people coordinate its activities in American cities and in Britain, Canada, and Mexico.
Preoccupied with managing the organization, Dr. Isenberg hasn’t given away as many medals in recent years. But he visited a children’s hospital in London after finishing a marathon there and was reminded of what a powerful experience it can be.
Families who have spent weeks in the hospital with their sick children are thrilled to have a visitor bring some hope to their situation, he says.
Ultimately, Dr. Isenberg envisions the medals becoming a “universal currency of good will and support,” evidence that people “respect the courage it takes to live life and fight life’s battles.” He would also like to find a way to track the medals after they have been donated and to share the stories of those who have recovered and given their medals to others.
Here, two volunteers prepare to hand out medals at a children’s hospital in Austin, Tex.
