Lauren with Tedy after 2022 TCS New York City Marathon

Lauren Lamm first joined Tedy’s Team as a member of our 2019 Boston Marathon® Team. Since then, she has participated in the 2019 Falmouth Road Race, the 2020 Boston Marathon®, the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, and in less than 2 weeks, she will be tackling the streets of Chicago for the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

Lauren will be a part of Tedy’s Team’s FIRST EVER Bank of America Chicago Marathon team, which consists of 10 alumni, 6 of whom are stroke or heart survivors.

“I’m so honored to be a part of the first Chicago team,” said Lauren. “We have a great group of people, almost all are heart disease or stroke survivors, which I think is really inspiring.”

In 2016, when Lauren was 25 years old, she suffered a stroke caused by a patent foramen ovale (PFO). While trying to wrap her head around her own stroke and recovery, Lauren’s Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. He was strong and fought hard but suffered a severe stroke due to complications and passed away on November 2, 2017.

“Being a stroke survivor and having a community of people fighting for stroke awareness is so powerful,” Lauren explained. “The support I’ve received and the friendships that have come from being a part of Tedy’s Team has been invaluable.”

Since joining Tedy’s Team in 2019, Lauren has raised almost $30,000 towards our mission to fight stroke and heart disease.

Thanks to teammates like Lauren, we have been able to do more of the following:

• Raise awareness of the stroke warning signs
• Fund life-saving research
• Support survivors on their comeback journey through our Comeback Assistance Program (CAP), the Tedy’s Team Center of Excellence in Stroke Recovery at MGH IHP, and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago

“Fundraising is definitely a challenge, but my friends and family have luckily been very supportive of all of my fundraising endeavors, which I know is in part to how amazing the causes are,” Lauren said. “Stroke affects so many people and knowing the signs of stroke can make a huge difference in treatment, so I am proud to have a platform to share that knowledge with friends and family.”

Upon finishing the Chicago Marathon this month, Lauren will be halfway to her goal of becoming a Six Star finisher! The Six Star Medal honors the runners who complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors, which are: Boston, New York City, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.

On Sunday, October 13^th, Lauren and her teammates will take on the Chicago Marathon to raise life-saving funds and awareness for stroke and heart disease. To support her fundraising and awareness efforts, please visit her personal team member page and learn the warning signs of stroke.

 

**When Lauren joined Tedy’s Team in 2019, she shared her full story as a part of our “Blog Takeover” series. To learn more about her journey as a survivor, please revisit her original blog post.

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