Running for a Cause That Runs in Their Family
Just a few years ago, sisters Lauren and Courtney Koval never imagined they would run a marathon.
“I was a certified couch potato, allergic to exercise,” says Courtney. “But I am a big Disney fan, so when a friend signed up for the Disney marathon in 2023, I decided to go for it. When I went to register, though, the only option that wasn’t sold out was the Dopey Challenge, where you run 48.6 miles in four days. I just said to myself, ‘Go big or go home.’”
While it was an intense introduction to the world of running, Courtney was immediately hooked. “It was so much fun. I loved it. The rest is history,” she says.
Since then, Courtney has recruited Lauren to start running races with her, and the sisters have now set their sights on this year’s Boston Marathon. They are running in support of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, drawn to a cause that has shaped their lives personally and professionally.
Family Ties
Trauma medicine runs deep in the Koval family. Lauren and Courtney’s father, Ken, is an orthopedic trauma surgeon, and their grandfather, Ray, was an orthopedic surgeon who cared for many trauma patients during his career. The sisters also experienced firsthand the devastating effects of trauma when their cousin passed away in a car accident in 2009.
Years later, Lauren found herself gravitating to trauma medicine, and she now works in the Brigham’s trauma unit as a social worker. Despite the family connection to the field, the path there was not always clear to her. But one thing she knew for certain was that she wanted to help others.
Lauren was hired at the Brigham in a float position after completing her social work training, supporting different teams across the hospital wherever she was needed most. Six months in, she was placed in the trauma unit. She found the work so meaningful that she stayed.
“For most of my patients, their lives just totally fell apart, whether they were in a car accident, a fire, or something else,” she says. “I work to identify their needs, help them adjust to their new realities, navigate the hospital, and figure out what support they need for when they go home.”
Courtney says that Lauren’s stories from the trauma unit echo many of their father’s stories from when they were younger.
“My family’s work has made me realize how close anyone could be to trauma. In my own life, I’ve had close calls while out running, skiing, and horseback riding, even when I’m doing all the right things,” she says. “Hearing my sister’s stories has just deepened my appreciation for the resilience of people facing sudden, life-altering events.”
Lifesaving, Life-Changing Work
It was through Lauren’s role at the Brigham that she and Courtney first became familiar with the Stepping Strong Center’s work. While supporting her patients in the trauma unit, Lauren regularly sees the center’s programs in action.
“Whatever situation brings my patients in, they are usually experiencing a sudden financial hardship, like losing a form of income if they are unable to work,” Lauren says. “That’s when I bring in Stepping Strong and work with its Trauma Survivor Fund to help patients apply for financial aid.”
With 1 in 10 trauma survivors facing significant financial strain during recovery due to high medical bills, lost income, or caregiving expenses, the Trauma Survivor Fund helps ease that burden so survivors can focus on healing. This support can help cover essentials like rent, groceries, transportation, and utility bills.
“That just changes peoples’ lives,” says Lauren. “If someone is out of work for months and there’s a delay in enrolling in disability benefits, Stepping Strong will help out. It can mean the difference between eviction and not. It has lifesaving, life-changing benefits.”
The only way that I would want to do this is if I ran for Stepping Strong. It’s an opportunity to honor my patients’ strength and give back to a program that saves lives in more ways than one.
For Courtney, who works in accounting and finance, what sets the Stepping Strong Center apart is its work teaching non-medical professionals like her and the public essential skills for responding in an emergency.
“Trauma is sudden and hard to prevent, but doing some of Stepping Strong’s trainings like ‘Stop the Bleed’ could make the difference between whether someone lives or dies,” she says, referencing a training that teaches participants how to control traumatic bleeding until help arrives.
An Easy Decision
Last fall, when it came time for Lauren and Courtney to apply for the Boston Marathon and choose a cause to run for, their minds immediately went to the Stepping Strong Center.
“The only way that I would want to do this is if I ran for Stepping Strong,” says Lauren. “It’s an opportunity to honor my patients’ strength and give back to a program that saves lives in more ways than one.”
Courtney adds, “Knowing that I’m raising money to help Stepping Strong’s mission is what keeps me out training even when I don’t want to. By running, I hope to honor the stories I grew up hearing and contribute to the amazing innovation happening at Stepping Strong.”
Because Courtney lives in Virginia and Lauren lives in Massachusetts, the sisters often run races together as a way to stay connected — but this one will be especially significant. It will be Lauren’s first full marathon, and they can think of no better way to mark the milestone than by running for a cause that means so much to them and their family.
“We plan to run together the whole time — not just start together or meet up at the end. It really helps when the pain sets in to have each other right there to help motivate the other to keep going,” says Courtney. “I’m so excited for the whole day, but what I’m most excited for is to be there with my sister and see her cross the finish line of her first marathon.”