Meet FRÉ Ambassador Jill Schumacher, Physician Assistant and Runner

@travel.run.repeat

About me: I was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, and now live in Annapolis, Maryland. I’ve been a Physician Assistant for 13 years and was recently redeployed to work in the hospital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m a runner and a Six Star Finisher of the World Marathon Majors.

"Living in an impoverished country heavily impacted by the HIV crisis gave me a strong desire to choose medicine as a career path."

Choosing my career path

I have been a Physician Assistant for 13 years. I worked in emergency medicine for the first 5 years as a PA and then in orthopedics for the past 8 years. I treat sports-related injuries, such as fractures and sprains. I grew up in South Africa and knew from an early age what I wanted to do with my life. Living in an impoverished country heavily impacted by the HIV crisis gave me a strong desire to choose medicine as a career path. Today I do a lot of medical mission work in South Africa and South America.

Being redeployed to the coronavirus front lines

When the pandemic hit, our clinics closed and all elective surgeries were halted. We were given the option of being furloughed or volunteering for redeployment. Several of us volunteered and were transferred to work in the hospital.

The hospital physicians kindly trained us in hospital medicine. I’m currently treating patients with a variety of medical conditions, such as strokes, pneumonia, and heart failure. I’m not working in the ICU with COVID-positive patients, but some of my patients test positive for the virus. I don’t expect my job to return to normal for some time, and we’re currently waiting to see if there will be another resurgence now that things are starting to open back up. On the positive side, the number of COVID-19-positive patients in our ICU has decreased.

Staying resilient

I’m a runner, and it’s something I’ve always done for myself. It keeps me mentally healthy and gives me time to get away and clear my head. I can finally breathe without wearing a mask. I also like to watch comedy shows, even if it’s something I’ve seen before. I try to focus on self-care by pampering myself with hot baths and face masks whenever I can.

Becoming a runner

After I graduated from PA school, a nurse friend of mine asked me to do a triathlon with her. I wasn’t physically active at the time, but she convinced me to sign up. At the time, I really didn’t know what I had signed up for! I hadn’t researched what a triathlon was before agreeing to do it with her. Later, when I looked into it, I realized I had to run, swim, and bike—and I didn’t even own a bike! I decided not to waste my $80 registration fee, so I started training and bought a wetsuit and a bike. I always joke that I ended up spending $5,000 to save $80, but it was worth it.

I was slow when I finished my first triathlon, but it felt good to be active. After the triathlon, I ran a half marathon and then a full marathon a year later; I really fell in love with running. I’ve now completed a total of 23 marathons and a few ultramarathons as well. My first marathon was the Chicago Marathon. While I was there, I saw an advertisement for the World Marathon Majors. I told my husband that I wanted to run them all, and I slowly checked each one off the list. I’m not a naturally fast runner, so I knew I had my work cut out for me with the Boston Marathon. Through a lot of hard work and dedication, I eventually qualified for Boston and ran it in 2018. I was proud to become a Six Star Finisher in Boston that year (having completed all six marathons). There are only 6,150 Six Star Finishers in the world. I’m now an Ambassador for the World Marathon Majors, helping others compete.

Running for Achilles International

My husband is a U.S. Army veteran. Unfortunately, he lost his right leg in combat while deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. The Achilles International team visited him in the hospital and asked if he wanted to complete a marathon. He had no idea how that would be possible, but they had a hand-cranked bike ready for him and encouraged him every step of the way. Shortly after his injury, he finished the Chicago Marathon, all thanks to the support he received through Achilles. Achilles is an amazing organization that empowers people to compete in races regardless of their disabilities. I wanted to thank the organization and give back for all they did for my husband, so I decided to run the 2020 NYC Marathon as a charity runner and raise money for the organization. My goal is to raise $5,000.

"When I get home, I shower, wash my face, and apply I AM LOVE, which instantly soothes my skin and gets rid of the redness from wearing a mask for 12 hours."

My skin challenges

I AM LOVE has worked wonders for my skin during this time. As a healthcare professional, I have to wear N95 masks and headgear, which are cumbersome and make it hard to breathe. The chemicals in the mask also irritate my skin. When I get home, I shower, wash my face, and apply I AM LOVE, which instantly soothes my skin and gets rid of the redness from wearing a mask for 12 hours. I also love GLOW ME. I used to wear makeup to work, but now it rubs off on my mask, so I wear GLOW ME instead for moisture and a tint.

As a runner, I love the DETOX ME mask. I can’t wait to sweat so I can put the mask on!

It’s such a treat and is very hydrating.

Rapid Fire:

• Favorite exercise? Running
• What does sweat mean to you? Time to refresh and recharge
• What comes to mind when you think of FRÉ? DETOX ME; that was my first product and what made me love the products so much because of what it did for my skin
• What are you most excited about in life right now? Spending more time with my golden retriever Zoe
• What’s something you’d still love to learn? Another language
• If you were a hashtag, what would you be? #littlegirlbigdreams - I’m small but I have BIG dreams
• What is your mantra? I love this quote from Oiselle: “There is no secret, keep going”.
• What is an issue that you wish we spoke about more often? Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, was shot and killed while running in February of this year. We often shy away from topics regarding racism, but it's essential that we address these issues, have a conversation and educate ourselves. I wish issues like this were spoken about more often.
• What does women’s empowerment mean in 2020? Supporting each other and understanding one another.
• What's your dream for the FRE community? I love the tree planting campaigns and would love to see more of this. I also love that FRE supports causes like Every Mother Counts