Bruins Ice Girl, Surgeon-in-training from Middleton Ready for First-ever Boston Marathon
As a Boston Bruins Ice Girl, Middleton resident Alexa Nicholls sees quite a bit of blood on the ice at the TD Garden during the occasional boisterous Bruins game.
This is one young woman who is not at all squeamish at the sight. After all, she sees quite a bit as a Patient Care Technician in the Surgical Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She is hoping to some day be a surgeon herself.
“I have a genuine passion for and interest in the field of surgery,” said Nicholls, a four-year member of the Ice Girls, a dance team of women who entertain fans during TV timeouts and intermissions. “I knew the moment I first stepped into the operating room that it was where I wanted to be the rest of my life. It’s a feeling that is hard to put into words, but I just know it’s for me.”
It all comes from the 21-year-old Nicholls’ willingness to be a helping hand in society. That also explains why she is running the Boston Marathon as a member of the Bruins Marathon Team, helping to raise money for the Boston Bruins Foundation.
“The Ice Girls do a ton of work with the Foundation,” said Nicholls. “The Boston Bruins Wives Carnival is one of our partner events, and we host a blood drive at the Garden every year, and we have events during or before games, like pajama drives or toy drives.”
Nicholls will also gladly run 26.2 miles for the charitable arm of the Bruins organization, representing the Ice Girls in that venture.
“I heard the Boston Bruins were going to have a marathon team last summer,” said Nicholls. “They started accepting applications for a spot on the team back in October and I immediately applied. There are 16 of us on the marathon team.”
Nicholls is only briefly into her career as a marathon runner, having run her first half-marathon last October.
“I did really well, but the Boston Marathon will be my first marathon,” said Nicholls. “I started training for the Boston Marathon in December and my training has dramatically intensified since the New Year.”
During Nicholls’ days as a Boston University Pre-Medicine/Health Sciences student, she remembers very well seeing thousands of runners living their dreams as they ran past screaming Marathon fans towards the end of the course at Copley Square.
“I think every college student in Boston can relate … there is nothing quite like Marathon Monday,” said Nicholls. “Running the Boston Marathon has always been a dream/goal of mine. Being a Bostonian, I have grown up around the energy and excitement that makes the Boston Marathon such a historic event.
“I have always admired the strength and commitment it takes individuals to run 26.2 miles,” she added.
Always a fan
Nicholls quickly admits she’s never been a hockey player herself, but she has always been a huge fan of the game and the Bruins, especially.
“Growing up, my mother [Gail] always brought me to games, and I also cheered at Masco for hockey games for all four of my years,” she added. Some of her years as a Masco cheerleader coincided with her brother Jay Nicholls’ time with the Chieftains boys hockey team.
Also, her father John still plays recreational hockey.
“After cheering at Masco, I wanted to continue to be involved with that sort of team, so I gave it a shot with the Ice Girls,” she said. “I did that each year during college, before I graduated early.”
Alexa graduated from Boston University in December, and will be applying to Physician Assistant/Masters programs in April.
“As part of that application, candidates must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of direct patient care and experience, and a Pre-Med Bachelor’s Degree,” said Alexa. “When I am not watching and taking part in Bruins home games, you will most likely find me in my scrubs at the hospital. I am a very hard worker, and genuinely love the hospital environment. I love the feeling I get knowing that I have made a difference in a patient’s life.”
Unfortunately, patients who enter the surgery room are sometimes children, and the youngest members of our population are the most regular beneficiaries of the Boston Bruins Foundation. The Foundation helps children in the realms of health, education, athletics and community outreach.
“I am so honored to be a part of the Boston Bruins Marathon Team, and I know that throughout this journey I am positively impacting the lives of children throughout New England from all of the generous donations made to the Boston Bruins Foundation,” Alexa added.
