by John Sorce
Special to The Leaven
PAPILLION, Neb. — One of the archdioceses’s own was honored with the 2024 LIFE Runner of the Year Award earlier this year.
Dr. Paul Camarata, professor and chairman of neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, was honored on March 28 at a banquet in Nebraska with the award, which is also known as the St. Padre Pio Servant Leadership Award.
He was recognized out of a pool that consisted of 24,452 teammates across 3,885 cities in 49 nations. This makes LIFE Runners the largest pro-life team in the world.
Camarata called the award humbling and said he hopes it can inspire another medical professional to stand up for the unborn.
“I was humbled and think there are many more worthy folks than I to have gotten this,” he said. “But I think it helps to promote the mission of LIFE Runners by seeing someone of my age and occupation supporting life. I hope this inspires somebody else in my position to stand up for the most vulnerable.”
Camarata has been involved with LIFE Runners for about 15 years after initially encountering them at a March for Life. He has completed 11 marathons and has supported LIFE Runners’ most prominent event, the A-Cross America Relay, by doing various 5K segments or greeting runners at the finish line for several years.
Pat Castle, who is LIFE Runners’ president and founder, said that Camarata embodies what the group is about.
“He was honored for his activism, encouragement and leadership,” Castle said. “Our cheer for LIFE Runners is: ‘All in Christ for pro-life,’ and he really embodies that.”
Bernadette Costello, who also serves as LIFE Runners director of operations, was one of Camarata’s patients after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“Dr. Camarata is so well immersed in his faith, the way that he lives and shares his time and talents with others,” Costello said. “He saw me for free for multiple appointments and knew that I am a missionary, so he wanted me to be close to home for this surgery. He is always living his faith and helping other people encounter Christ.”
One thing that Camarata enjoys about LIFE Runners is the group environment that helps people support and encourage one another.
“It takes a lot of strength if you are alone to wear a jersey to show support,” he said. “But being in a group helps support you, and I think that’s why I go to the March for Life every year. I get buoyed by the support and witness of the thousands of people that are there. It can be easy to become discouraged seeing some of the things that are going on around us. But the March for Life is a real boost for my courage and conviction.”
The 2025 A-Cross America Relay takes place from Sept. 5 through Oct. 18. It launches from New York City in the east; San Francisco in the west; Fargo, North Dakota, in the north; and Austin, Texas, in the south. The groups will converge at the finish line the morning of Oct. 18 at Benedictine College in Atchison.
