MONROE- Dean Stambelu sat on his couch in his Monroe living room in March of 2020 waiting to die.
He was one of the first people at the Port Authority, where he worked, to be diagnosed with COVID-19, and was also battling pneumonia. The thing is, Dean Stambelu wasn’t at peace with death.
“I had signed off on life, but it was deep and I was crying,” Stambelu said.
At the time, Stambelu was receiving oxygen treatments and had just left a local hospital out of fear of being put on a ventilator. Fast forward to Saturday. Dean Stambelu, alive and well, finished his 11th marathon in 11 days on a course in Sanford, Maine.
Stambelu’s near-death experience inspired him to pick up running marathons again, and his 11-day trek, which totaled 288.2 miles, was to raise money for the Danny Mulvey Foundation. Mulvey died in 2017 at the age of 20 after battling cancer for 16 years. He was beloved in Chester and revered for his courageous battle against the disease.
“What I’m doing now is a big reflection of my life and how I want to enjoy it,” Stambleu, 60, said. “They say you have to live and time flies, well, this is what I want to do. I run and I’m enjoying life.”
Stambleu has now run 120 marathons, including five before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, which badly damaged his lungs. To get back in shape, his doctor suggested that he start walking. Stambleu began with slow jaunts around the ponds in Monroe.
He moved onto 5Ks and 10Ks, half marathons, and finally marathons. Now retired, Stambleu finished his 11 marathons in times between 5 hours, 30 minutes and 6 hours, 30 minutes.
He said he was inspired to raise awareness for the Danny Mulvey Foundation after learning about his story from his friends from Chester. Since it was founded, the Daniel Mulvey Foundation has raised more than $100,000 for local families in need and local programs and scholarships.
“I had a conversation about Danny with his father at the diner, and it was deep,” Stambleu said. “Danny was courageous, and he had a deep faith in God. I’m just glad that I can do something unique to raise awareness about the foundation. Nobody wants to lose a kid, and I did this for the family.”
Donations to the Danny Mulvey Foundation can be made via Venmo to TheDanny-MulveyFund. For more information, email