Serial Marathon Runner, Moses Christian, Receives Support of Family and Friends

It was a heartfelt gathering at the Loma Linda home of Dr. Moses Christian last week, as colleagues, friends and family gathered to show their support of the surgeon who has made a name for himself not only out of his desire to help others, but also out of his perseverance. Diagnosed with prostate cancer 20 years ago, Christian has shown steadfastness not only in his approach to fighting the disease for two decades, but also in other aspects of his life, like running. The 83-year-old surgeon has run more than 287 half-marathons and marathons combined, both official and non-official, since he began running when he was 61, and he's finished every one. Christian's last race was the 2014 Asics Los Angeles Marathon in March 2014. His cousins walked with him and he clocked a time of 9:36:01. Since 1999, Christian had run at least one marathon a month, even running some of those marathons with his son, Rajan. His wife, Lena, would register him for all his races, book his flights and his hotels, and his daughter Brinda also showed her support of her father by cheering him on in all his races. But recently paralyzed from the chest down due to the progressing cancer, Christian has turned his attention elsewhere. Despite immense pain and with Lena's help as his caretaker, Christian continues to see patients at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, where he is thoracic and cardiac surgeon. Late afternoon last Friday, Aug. 28, Christian was at home resting after a day of seeing patients, said Lena. The couple have a son, Rajan, and a daughter, Brinda. "He's still a fighter," Lena said. "He keeps walking and he does get very tired. This is his next marathon." Christian's pain has increased over the last two years, Lena explained. For two decades, Christian fought the disease holistically, maintaining a healthy diet, focusing on adequate sleep, and participating in plenty of exercise, like marathons. He chose not to undergo surgery, radiation or chemotherapy treatments. In 2013, the pain began getting worse, spreading throughout his body. In June 2015, he lost function in his legs and became paralyzed from his chest down. "He's hanging in there, though he is in pain," said Lena. "His mind is clear but his body is just not keeping up with his mind." Last week, colleagues, friends and family joined Christian at his home to pay tribute to his life and also to express their thanks to him. Visitors included San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital CEO Mark Turner and the hospital's orthopedic surgeon Mark Reis, MD, among others. "It was a very heartfelt meeting," said Jim Walling, president of the Loma Linda Lopers, a running club of which Christian has been a member for decades. "Moses is a very humble and devoted Christian man. People really have great respect for him because he's lived an exemplary life." Moses was raised in India in a Christian home and has said he was inspired by his mother to become a doctor. Many patients knew him, even if he wasn't their medical caretaker, Walling explained. "He's very genuine and sincere, through and through," said Walling, who was among the guests who attended the gathering at Christian's house last week. "He's always spent time doing for others and last week was just a celebration of his life." "He's still headstrong," said Lena, "and that's why he's done all those marathons. Something my son said was, 'It's not about running. It was about finishing something.'"