top of page
Search

Senior hosts “Benching for Miracles” event to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital

BY RACHEL GALATIS


Lauren Ladue knows how important treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital can be, and is now working to raise money for others who need help.


“I started my medical journey with Boston Children's Hospital in 2013 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease,” Ladue said.


For years, she underwent treatments to combat Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy, which impacted her mobility until she reached her second remission in December of 2016. Then in an unfortunate twist of fate, she was diagnosed with heart disease in June of 2017.


Now, Ladue is a member of the Stonehill College field hockey team and will be graduating in May with a bachelor's degree in Marketing and a minor in biochemistry. She is also training to run the Boston Marathon on the Boston Children’s team, which takes place on April 18.


“I ran my first half marathon in August of 2021, and after that I realized “why not” run a marathon, to prove to myself I could do hard things,” she said. “I knew BCH had a team, and due to my medical history at Boston Children's, it was a no-brainer.”


In December of 2021, Ladue started to train with her sister, Taylor, a member of the Stonehill class of 2021. The week consists of three “lighter” runs, one “long” run, and a cross-training day.

Ladue said the longest run so far has been 21 miles, accomplished on April 2.


“Our goal time for the race is under four and a half hours, we impressed ourselves with the 21-miler, as we completed it in under three and a half hours,” she said.


To raise money for the Boston Children’s “Miles for Miracles” fundraising campaign, Ladue organized an event on campus called “Benching for Miracles,” which will be held on April 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the varsity weight room. The event will be open to students, coaches, and faculty, with a $10 individual registration fee prior to the event, and a $15 fee at the door.


Teams of five will compete to bench press as many reps as they can, and the weight can be chosen for the team. The teams with the most reps will win a prize in each bracket. There will also be winners selected from the male and female bracket.


Erin Heffernan, a sophomore on the field hockey team, said that she considers Ladue’s event inspiring and hopes it will motivate others to host similar events on campus.


“I think what she is doing is an amazing thing, and I can’t wait for her to have all her hard work with long hours of training these past months to pay off and it’s even better that it is for a good cause,” she Heffernan.


Last fall, the team made it all the way to the NE-10 quarterfinals with an 11-3 overall record in the conference. They played their final game against Adelphi University on Nov. 1, where they lost 1-0.


Heffernan said she is proud to watch her teammate do something “monumental” and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes in the future.


“I think that events like this strengthen our team's dynamic since everyone will be cheering on Lauren and is proud of all her hard work,” she said. “I think the event will bring us closer as a team since we are all cheering another teammate on together.”


For more information, use the QR code below.

Graphic courtesy of Lauren Ladue.


56 views0 comments
bottom of page