Man Runs From DC To Pennsylvania To Talk With Sick 'Nana' Through Window

Corey Cappelloni, an endurance athlete from Washington, D.C., once ran the most grueling foot race on earth for six days through the Sahara Desert. On June 19, he arrived at his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania after running for seven days just to meet his “nana,” who was sick with COVID-19.

Cappelloni’s grandmother Ruth Andres, 98, lives in a nursing home in Scranton. She only talked to her grandson through the window after he ran from his home in D.C., 218 miles away.

Workers at the Allied Services Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center greeted Cappeloni with cheers, flags and purple balloons, Andres’ favorite color. As he arrived out of breath but smiling, Capelloni pointed to his grandmother’s room on the fourth floor where she had hung a sign that read, “I Love You Corey.”

From the ground, Cappelloni promised to give his grandmother a long hug when it was okay to do so.

He called Andres through a cellphone and told her, “Nana, you’re a strong person. You’re going on 99, and you still have many more miles.”

Cappelloni told Runner’s World that it was hard for him to listen to Andres worry about her diagnosis.

“When I called, I could tell she was becoming depressed and worried, saying things like, ‘If I never see you again.’ It was sad,” he said.

He also said he knew Andres could fight off the disease, even as he contemplated moving up the date of the run. He decided against moving and ultimately ran on schedule.”

“I knew she had fight. I knew she had miles left in her. And at 98, the coronavirus came and she tested positive, and she had some very rough days, but she fought through them,” he said.

Cappelloni ran to help raise funds for the nursing home where Andres was a resident. He said his girlfriend, Susan Kamenar, suggested the idea to run to the nursing home.

By the end of the run, he had exceeded his goal of $22,000.

Capelloni said that he was galvanized to finish the run after he received news that his grandmother had fully recovered from the coronavirus just as he was struggling near Bloomsburg.

“I just had so much energy from the news,” he said.

Ultimately, Cappelloni could not enter the facility, but spoke to Andres through the phone. The conversation was broadcast with microphone and speakers.

“I think this will be the highlight of my running career,” he said.