Best Foot Forward

A cancer diagnosis motivated T+L’s Nina Ruggiero Curtis to run her first marathon—on another continent.

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AS FAR AS I KNEW, I was a perfectly healthy 33-year-old: constantly on the go, traveling the world, working a lot, planning a wedding. And, like many people my age, I only went to the doctor when it was absolutely necessary. In the fall of 2023, an upcoming trip to Botswana—and the immunizations required—meant that I would have to schedule an office visit.

The day of the appointment, my physician casually touched my neck and asked, “Did you know you have a lump here?” I had no idea, and from the instant change in her demeanor, I could tell something was wrong.

I went for an ultrasound, then a biopsy, and then, just after my 34th birthday—four days before my fiancé, Alex, and I were supposed to head off to Botswana—I received the news: it was cancer.

Everyone says papillary thyroid cancer is a “good” form of cancer, which is a weird thing to hear. Though, at the time, I took comfort in the fact that it’s quite treatable, I was still only in my 30s.

One of my first thoughts after hearing the news was whether I could still go to Botswana. I had been excited about this trip because it would be different from anything I’d ever done. I was looking forward to escaping the travel-editor mentality and simply being in a faraway place, in awe of the world.

My GP was nervous and wanted me to cancel, but my endocrinologist and surgeon both encouraged me to “live my life.” This trip, organized by Desert & Delta Safaris, turned out to be perfect, because while I was in Botswana I was completely in the moment. Alex and I took game drives, watched the sun rise while a family of monkeys played in front of us, and spotted hippos seemingly behind every tree. Thanks to Botswana’s vast landscapes and the range of activities available, I couldn’t think about anything else.