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This 21-year-old is running Boston less than a year after an unexpected diagnosis

"[I]f I can run a marathon 6 months after a lupus diagnosis, my wildest dreams aren't so wild."

March 22, 2022

1 minute 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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your story here.

Brian Morse is running Boston for frontline workers who ‘braved the pandemic’

Name: Sophia Marsden
Age: 21
From: Lowell

I moved home from Washington, DC for the summer when my hair started falling out; soon after I moved home, I could barely get out of bed on some days.

Our answer to my bizarre and debilitating symptoms came in August 2021, just before my senior year of college, when I was diagnosed with early signs of lupus. As a 21-year-old dreaming of law school and living abroad, this diagnosis seemed to rip my identity away from me and take my goals of law school, a PhD program, and running a marathon with it. After a brief flirtation with dropping out of school, large pills, and swollen joints, the treatment started working.

When I started running again was when I knew none of my dreams had been ripped from me; they were still there, just waiting for me to muster up the courage to chase them. I wanted to run the Boston Marathon to prove to myself that lupus won’t stop me from achieving my goals.

When looking for a charity, I wanted to run for a major Boston hospital because I’m a patient at one. I know what it’s like to have doctors talk about your quality of life, and I want to ensure people hearing those words have the best resources possible. Additionally, after losing two close family members to trauma, running for the Brigham and Women’s Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma and Innovation was the ultimate way to not just honor those I had lost.

I could also remind myself along the way that if I can run a marathon 6 months after a lupus diagnosis, my wildest dreams aren’t so wild.

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.