Cancer survivor Batbayar Tserendorj affectionately referred to as "Bat", has made headlines again by finishing his second Chicago Marathon, showcasing not just physical endurance but a triumph over life's toughest challenges. According to CBS Chicago, the 60-year-old, who hails from Round Lake Beach, was diagnosed with liver cancer and was on the brink of receiving a transplant just a night before last year's marathon. In an audacious move, Batbayar gave up his spot for the transplant, opting to run and later receiving the surgery nineteen days post-marathon.
Determined to push through his health struggles, Bat decided to run, with the reasoning that there was uncertainty surrounding his physical ability post-transplant, as he told NBC Chicago. Returning to the marathon this year, he embraced the course not as a contender but as a cancer-free man celebrating his good health and persistence.
The gravity of his choice was not lost on his medical team. Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo, Bat's transplant surgeon at Northwestern Medicine, highlighted the rarity of such a decision, stating "That’s a very risky situation. Normally, we prefer the patient take the organ because you never know when another organ will be available." This bold move by Batbayar underscores the precarious nature of transplant timing, as more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ, and 17 die each day in the wait, as reported by NBC Chicago.
Mongolia-born Batbayar's story resonates far beyond Chicago, having come from a region with one of the highest rates of liver cancer globally. With over 800,000 people diagnosed with liver cancer annually worldwide and it being the second leading cause of cancer death, Bat's successful battle is not just personal but reflects a larger narrative of hope for many. "Life is not easy. Sickness and just all other things, you have to persist," Batbayar told CBS Chicago, adding that "Liver transplant is not a death sentence. It's just a second chance of life." His jubilant finish in this year's marathon, surrounded by family, served as a striking testament to that belief.
