On April 15, 2013, Boston was changed forever. So too was the life of one of my close childhood friends, Gillian Reny, who was waiting to see her sister cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Flash forward to today—Gillian is doing great and The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at the Brigham is fueling transformative trauma innovation for civilian and military personnel worldwide. I ran the Nantucket Triathlon to support Gillian and to help turn tragedy into hope for future trauma patients.

I ran the Chicago Marathon in memory of my Grandpa Butch after he passed away from a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in 2018. As a Brigham employee, I’m proud to fundraise for the Hematology Research Fund at the hospital and support the work of Li Chai, MD, who is cultivating a rich research environment designed to strengthen and find cures for the most challenging human blood diseases. Running with him in my heart and fundraising for a cure made those 26.2 miles unforgettable.

We ran the SunRype Okanagan Marathon to raise funds for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, a very rare form of kidney cancer. We got into direct contact with Elizabeth Henske, MD, a medical oncologist and Harvard professor who is at the forefront of research for ChRCC. Based out of her Henske Lab at the Brigham, Dr. Henske and her team work tirelessly to study the mechanisms that contribute to the formation of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma tumors, as well as develop therapeutic strategy for patients with metastatic ChRCC, for whom there are currently no proven therapeutic options. Together we can raise funds and provide hope for patients living with rare kidney cancer!