Joe Greeley is running Boston to ‘turn tragedy into hope’

"The mission of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is to catalyze trauma innovation for injured civilians and military heroes."

Joe Greeley is running the 2024 Boston Marathon.

April 10, 2024

2 minutes to read

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Name: Joe Greeley
Age: 28
From: Charlestown

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.

I always watch the Boston Marathon, usually with my parents. I have the usual thought of “Oh it might be fun to run this one day. Maybe I should start some training”. That thought usually passes within a week however. I sort of resigned myself to never doing it until last year. It was my first time actually attending the marathon as my friend Kyleigh was running. I went to the Red Sox game and was about to leave to see her finish when I semi-officially signed up. I was with my friend Zach at the Red Sox game and he convinced me I could do it. He had run four Boston Marathons and encouraged me.

Then and there, I had him write up a text message contract and signed it with Digital Touch. I then ran off to the finish line and felt all of the energy. I knew I made the correct decision. Zach kept checking in the weeks following to make sure I was serious. I was. He officially got me a bib with Stepping Strong and I cannot think of a team I would rather be on. The mission of The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation is to catalyze trauma innovation for injured civilians and military heroes, through multidisciplinary investigative collaborations across the continuum of trauma care, from prevention to treatment and recovery.

Stepping Strong funded initiatives are making a profound difference for trauma patients and their families worldwide. To date, the center has raised more than $27 million. But much more needs to be done. Trauma is often referred to as the neglected global epidemic of modern society. According to the Centers for Disease Control: Trauma is the number one cause of death for people 44 or younger, ahead of cancer and heart disease. More than $2 trillion per year is spent on decreased productivity, work loss and medical costs due to traumatic injuries.

Trauma accounts for more than 300,000 deaths annually in the U.S., often leaving survivors with permanent mental and physical disabilities. Traumatic injuries comprise 40% of visits to emergency departments. Less than 2% of NIH funding is allocated toward trauma research, perpetuating enormous human and financial costs. The Stepping Strong Center remains absolutely committed to filling this gap.

With your support of me, you are helping the center turn tragedy into hope for civilians and military heroes worldwide who have suffered devastating traumatic injuries.