Avon man turns to running after mother's diagnosis, now training for Boston Marathon

AVON — Pushed into a dark place emotionally by his mother's medical diagnosis, Mike Uehlein turned to running as an outlet. Less than three years later, the Avon resident is training for one of the nation's largest and most prestigious races, the Boston Marathon, and he is doing so with those who are battling medical challenges in his mind. Uehlein said it was three years ago that his mother, Linda Uehlein, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an interstitial lung disease that damages the lungs' ability to absorb oxygen. The disease is considered terminal. The weight of his mom's prognosis was heavy for Uehlein. "That was a very low moment for me in my life," he said. "I needed an outlet." A former hockey player, most of the running he'd done before was for cross-training. Uehlein also had tried running a few times as an adult to lose weight, but he said he was "pretty much a nonrunner" until that time. "I could barely run a quarter mile around the track, and then I'd run a mile, and then (I thought), 'OK, let's try a 5K,'" Uehlein recalled. Since then, he has worked his way up from 5Ks and has now completed three half-marathons. Uehlein believes his training has not only made him healthier physically, but it also helped him reach a place mentally where he could be a better son. "Instead of being sad, that really gave me the motivation to be that positive light or positive influence for her when she is going through such a tough time," he said. About a year or year-and-a-half after she was diagnosed, Linda Uehlein was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. Mike Uehlein said the family could not visit her because of COVID-19 restrictions at the time, and they were told the next time they would see her would either be after she received a double lung transplant or at her funeral. They didn't have to wait long. Mike Uehlein said one day after they were told that, a call came in at 1 a.m. After about half a year on the transplant list, donated lungs became available. He said the family is "eternally grateful" to the Clinic, Dr. Marie Budev and the transplant team for the work they did. After the transplant, Uehlein decided to take his training to the next level, start entering the half-marathons and use running to advocate for organ donation. He began dedicating his runs to his mother and to organ donation awareness. Now, Uehlein is running for another cause as well. He thought of his cousin, Scott Ortmayer, who was born with a poor valve in his heart and had undergone three open heart surgeries by the age of 44. Uehlein got into the Boston Marathon by reaching out to the Ethan Lindberg Foundation, which serves families affected by congenital heart disease, and agreeing to run and raise funds on behalf of the organization. The Ethan Lindberg Foundation even provided him with a professional running coach to guide his training, and he is hoping to finish the 26.2-mile race in less than four hours. Uehlein is well on his way to his $10,000 fundraising goal with two months left until the race. His donation page is at tinyurl.com/4sjyyum7. The 2022 Boston Marathon is April 18, and Uehlein said he is excited about the opportunity. He is saving a spot on the side of his jersey to attach something that reminds him of his mom and the reason he got into running. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.