PK's Boston Marathon Run for BWH & Spaulding
Tax deductible
All donations made to PK's fundraising efforts will be evenly split between Brigham and Women's Hospital to support The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital to support Spaulding's President's Fund. You will receive one tax acknowledgement for your contribution from Brigham and Women's Hospital via PayPal Giving Fund. If you wish to contribute via cash or a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) please reach out to Ali Luthman for instructions by clicking here for contact information .
On December 1, 2020 I received the ultimate gift - a renewed life.
As an adult, I developed peripheral neuropathy which resulted in frequent foot wounds. At first it wasn’t a big issue; I was always very active, and the lesions would heal. However, as I grew older, the condition worsened, and the wounds stopped healing. I endured a decade-long journey of daily wound care, serious infections, hospitalizations, and surgeries (which was very difficult due to my allergy to penicillin and the antibiotic resistance of the infections). In 2019, I decided that the constant pain, wound management, and endless surgeries were enough, and I began to seriously consider amputation, even against the doctors wishes who thought amputation was an absolute last resort. I lived a compromised life shrouded daily with the possibility of death and this ultimately instilled in me a deep fear for my future rather than one to dream about with joy and excitement.
In my former role as managing director at Benefunder, I was connected with Hugh Herr of MIT, himself a double amputee and pioneer in Biomechatronics, a new field dedicated to creating bionic limbs that function more like natural limbs. Hugh put me in touch with Dr. Matthew Carty of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), pioneer of the Ewing Amputation in the U.S., a procedure designed to preserve the mind-body connection between the brain and the limb made possible thanks to funding from the Stepping Strong Center. Dr. Carty said I was a good candidate for surgery, and I was ready. After an eleven-hour operation my life just began again, and I defied all expectations in recovery. I had surgery on a Tuesday, four days later I transferred to Spaulding Rehab, went home on December 15, and stood up for the first time on January 7 and received my new legs the beginning of February.
In being the first simultaneous bilateral recipient of the Ewing Amputation procedure, I can now explore activities and experiences I never thought possible prior to my procedure. This gift of a renewed life was made possible by the empowering discoveries facilitated at BWH’s Stepping Strong Center and the cutting-edge rehabilitation programs provided by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, the global leader in advanced rehabilitation medicine.
As a firsthand beneficiary of the leading-edge research, clinical brilliance, institutional dedication, and commitment of these two organizations, there is no better way to say thank you then running the 126th Boston Marathon in their honor. Collectively, we can make a huge difference in the countless individuals who will benefit from these discoveries. Most amputees view their amputation as a loss, but I don’t see it that way. Part of it is really about the narrative and how you frame it. You need to get the loss vernacular out. It is part of the price, and there are certainly struggles, but losing a limb is about gaining a future. These new legs of mine are even better. When you think about it, you’re switching out components with the goal of getting on with your life.
While I have ambitious fundraising goals, I appreciatively ask for not only your monetary contribution but also for your networking help. I ask for your support in championing these two worthy institutions through both donating and sharing this campaign with your communities, employers, colleagues, friends, and family.
With infinite and sincere gratitude, I thank you for your support of my goals, BWH Stepping Strong Center and Spaulding.
About Stepping Strong at BWH and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital:
In 2013, Boston was changed forever when a beautiful Marathon Monday turned into a senseless tragedy. Gillian Reny, then a high school senior, was one of the 39 critically injured patients rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where doctors and nurses saved her life and both of her legs. In gratitude to the Brigham, the Reny family established The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation to help other trauma patients like Gillian regain their strength and ability to step strong once again. The mission of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is to catalyze multidisciplinary collaborations that inspire groundbreaking innovation, effective prevention, and compassionate intervention to transform care for civilians and military heroes who endure traumatic injuries and events. Stepping Strong funded initiatives are making a profound difference for trauma patients and their families worldwide. To date, the center has raised more than $24 million. But much more needs to be done.
Trauma is often referred to as the neglected global epidemic of modern society as it accounts for 43 million hospital visits and an economic burden of $700 billion per year. It is the number one cause of death for people 46 or younger, ahead of cancer and heart disease -- and every 3 minutes, someone dies from a traumatic injury. When you support a member of the Brigham Stepping Strong Marathon Team, you are helping the Brigham turn tragedy into hope for civilian and military heroes worldwide who have suffered devastating traumatic injuries.
To read more about Stepping Strong at Brigham and Women's Hospital, please click here .
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is a global leader in rehabilitation medicine and currently ranked #3 by U.S. News & World Reports in their Best Hospitals issue. An Official Teaching Hospital of Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Provides comprehensive rehabilitation and medical management programs for people recovering from—or learning to live fully with—illness, injury and disability.
Spaulding’s Race for Rehab program encourages people of all abilities to participate in athletic endeavors in support of the hospital’s President’s Fund, dedicated to innovative enhancements to patient care, teaching and groundbreaking research. Since 2005, Race for Rehab teammates have raised nearly $7M and grown from one member to more than 700 alumni from across the globe.
To read more about Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, please click here .
On December 1, 2020 I received the ultimate gift - a renewed life.
As an adult, I developed peripheral neuropathy which resulted in frequent foot wounds. At first it wasn’t a big issue; I was always very active, and the lesions would heal. However, as I grew older, the condition worsened, and the wounds stopped healing. I endured a decade-long journey of daily wound care, serious infections, hospitalizations, and surgeries (which was very difficult due to my allergy to penicillin and the antibiotic resistance of the infections). In 2019, I decided that the constant pain, wound management, and endless surgeries were enough, and I began to seriously consider amputation, even against the doctors wishes who thought amputation was an absolute last resort. I lived a compromised life shrouded daily with the possibility of death and this ultimately instilled in me a deep fear for my future rather than one to dream about with joy and excitement.
In my former role as managing director at Benefunder, I was connected with Hugh Herr of MIT, himself a double amputee and pioneer in Biomechatronics, a new field dedicated to creating bionic limbs that function more like natural limbs. Hugh put me in touch with Dr. Matthew Carty of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), pioneer of the Ewing Amputation in the U.S., a procedure designed to preserve the mind-body connection between the brain and the limb made possible thanks to funding from the Stepping Strong Center. Dr. Carty said I was a good candidate for surgery, and I was ready. After an eleven-hour operation my life just began again, and I defied all expectations in recovery. I had surgery on a Tuesday, four days later I transferred to Spaulding Rehab, went home on December 15, and stood up for the first time on January 7 and received my new legs the beginning of February.
In being the first simultaneous bilateral recipient of the Ewing Amputation procedure, I can now explore activities and experiences I never thought possible prior to my procedure. This gift of a renewed life was made possible by the empowering discoveries facilitated at BWH’s Stepping Strong Center and the cutting-edge rehabilitation programs provided by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, the global leader in advanced rehabilitation medicine.
As a firsthand beneficiary of the leading-edge research, clinical brilliance, institutional dedication, and commitment of these two organizations, there is no better way to say thank you then running the 126th Boston Marathon in their honor. Collectively, we can make a huge difference in the countless individuals who will benefit from these discoveries. Most amputees view their amputation as a loss, but I don’t see it that way. Part of it is really about the narrative and how you frame it. You need to get the loss vernacular out. It is part of the price, and there are certainly struggles, but losing a limb is about gaining a future. These new legs of mine are even better. When you think about it, you’re switching out components with the goal of getting on with your life.
While I have ambitious fundraising goals, I appreciatively ask for not only your monetary contribution but also for your networking help. I ask for your support in championing these two worthy institutions through both donating and sharing this campaign with your communities, employers, colleagues, friends, and family.
With infinite and sincere gratitude, I thank you for your support of my goals, BWH Stepping Strong Center and Spaulding.
About Stepping Strong at BWH and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital:
In 2013, Boston was changed forever when a beautiful Marathon Monday turned into a senseless tragedy. Gillian Reny, then a high school senior, was one of the 39 critically injured patients rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where doctors and nurses saved her life and both of her legs. In gratitude to the Brigham, the Reny family established The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation to help other trauma patients like Gillian regain their strength and ability to step strong once again. The mission of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is to catalyze multidisciplinary collaborations that inspire groundbreaking innovation, effective prevention, and compassionate intervention to transform care for civilians and military heroes who endure traumatic injuries and events. Stepping Strong funded initiatives are making a profound difference for trauma patients and their families worldwide. To date, the center has raised more than $24 million. But much more needs to be done.
Trauma is often referred to as the neglected global epidemic of modern society as it accounts for 43 million hospital visits and an economic burden of $700 billion per year. It is the number one cause of death for people 46 or younger, ahead of cancer and heart disease -- and every 3 minutes, someone dies from a traumatic injury. When you support a member of the Brigham Stepping Strong Marathon Team, you are helping the Brigham turn tragedy into hope for civilian and military heroes worldwide who have suffered devastating traumatic injuries.
To read more about Stepping Strong at Brigham and Women's Hospital, please click here .
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is a global leader in rehabilitation medicine and currently ranked #3 by U.S. News & World Reports in their Best Hospitals issue. An Official Teaching Hospital of Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Provides comprehensive rehabilitation and medical management programs for people recovering from—or learning to live fully with—illness, injury and disability.
Spaulding’s Race for Rehab program encourages people of all abilities to participate in athletic endeavors in support of the hospital’s President’s Fund, dedicated to innovative enhancements to patient care, teaching and groundbreaking research. Since 2005, Race for Rehab teammates have raised nearly $7M and grown from one member to more than 700 alumni from across the globe.
To read more about Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, please click here .
Organizer
Paul Kent
Organizer
Hingham, MA
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.
Beneficiary