'He has a cape on under that white jacket': Surgeon runs half-mile through Philadelphia Marathon to get a patient's desperately needed organ

The Philadelphia Marathon had at least one unregistered runner this past November: a surgeon from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City, Pennsylvania. Unlike other participants, Dr. Adam Bodzin wasn't chasing prize money or a racer's high, but rather a desperately needed organ stuck in traffic.

WTXF-TV reported that on Nov. 19, Bodzin, 41, was scrubbed and ready to perform an organ transplant. His patient, 66-year-old Charles Rowe, was similarly ready, prepped and tabled after 15 months of waiting for a new liver.

That liver happened to be sitting in an emergency transport van trapped in heavy traffic.

Not only was the out-of-town driver reportedly unfamiliar with the city and possible alternate routes, but he had to contend with the Philadelphia Marathon, which blocked many of the roads surrounding the hospital.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the driver had been trying for over an hour and a half to get through the race, putting the organ at risk of deterioration.

Bodzin, surgical director at the Liver Tumor Center, told WTXF, "We tried every which way to get them across, [the driver] talked to multiple police officers about potential access points; unfortunately, despite that, [the driver] was unable to get across."

While an emergency van may have been an unwelcome addition to the flow of runners, another time-bound biped proved to be no problem.

Still dressed in his white lab coat and scrubs, Bodzin took to the streets on foot. He bolted for roughly half a mile, reportedly threading the throng of marathon runners with surgical precision.

"I had flagged down a police officer before I crossed the marathon, thankfully, who agreed to drive me back if I can get the liver," recalled Bodzin. "I think people are probably looking at me a little more odd carrying the box through."

After retrieving the organ, Bodzin caught a ride back with the police officer.

Rowe told WTXF that he had no idea until after the operation that his surgeon had participated in his own impromptu marathon that day.

The liver recipient said, "He's amazing, he's a really amazing doctor, he went beyond the call of duty. ... I guess he has a cape on under that white jacket."

Rowe added, "I'm really grateful for what he did, because if he had not gotten it in me, I would not have gotten the liver and I would have been waiting again, and who knows what would have transpired between that time with my body and everything."

Bodzin recently provided an update on how his patient is doing: "He's doing great. He's a great patient. ... He doesn't look like he's had a liver transplant."

Rick Hasz, president and CEO of the Gift of Life Donor Program, which coordinates organ donation for transplants in the Philadelphia, stated, "Dr. Bodzin’s quick action demonstrated his commitment to honoring the selfless generosity of all donors and their families and gives hope to everyone waiting for a second chance at life."

Surgeon runs down Philadelphia street to retrieve organ from transport vehicle stuck in trafficyoutu.be

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