FALMOUTH, Mass. — The Falmouth Road Race—a popular summer running event is happening this morning. Not only does it draw runners from all over the world, it also brings in large crowds. And for the first time—Boston Marathon bombing survivor Brittany Loring is running it—focusing supporting other survivors of trauma.
“It was my birthday, April 15th,” said Brittany Loring, a Boston Marathon survivor and founder of the Brittany Fund for Trauma and Recovery.
Brittany Loring remembers her 29th birthday on Boylston Street in 2013 so vividly—yet for some moments—it was a blur.
“We saw one of our friends run by and we’re really excited and wanted to meet her at the finish line,” said Loring. “So we started speed walking, running through people trying to get there. And we were, you know, in motion when the first bomb went off and were hit by shrapnel from that and myself and the friend I was with were sent in separate directions at that point.”
With adrenaline and shock taking over, Brittany somehow got up.
“And then seeing myself in one of the windows and recognizing I was hurt and then I needed serious help and then starting to look for help,” said Loring.
That’s when she ran into Mike Sokolowski.
“And as she took a step, I also noticed that she had basically her thigh had been cut open,” said Mike Sokolowski, of Dorchester. “And just instinct in me said, okay, take my jacket off, make a tourniquet, make sure that she’s not focused on that injury and then we’ll run and get help.”
Brittany suffered a skull fracture, bilateral leg injuries and was riddled with shrapnel. She spent ten days in the hospital then transitioned to in-home care and rehab. Despite being total strangers at the time, Mike came across a Facebook fundraising page for Brittany and met up with her months later.
“I was like, okay, this is going to like close the loop on this some way, it would be great to see her, you know, healthy and happy,” said Sokolowski.
Little did they know they would create an everlasting friendship—-and during her healing process—she thought about all the people who helped her recover both physically and mentally.
“So I had said, you know what if this was a smaller event and nobody knew to reach out to me?” said Loring. “Like, what would that be like and can I help those people? And so the thought was, how do I pay it forward?”
She created the Brittany fund which provides financial support to survivors of trauma so they can focus on their recovery.
“I think that with events like that, it can really, like right from the beginning, it’s going to go one of two ways,” said Sokolowski. “Either it’s going to eat you up or it’s to be directed in something positive and Brittany took the lead on that. So it was easy to follow at that point.”
Mike has run several times for the Brittany Fund. After finally being able to run along the water in Scituate with no pain, she is joining him in Falmouth—with her focus on the fund to help as many other trauma survivors as possible.
“To give them that support and be like, hey, we care about you,” said Loring. “There are people in the community that care about you and we want you to succeed.”
So far, the Brittany Fund has given out half a million dollars. Brittany plans to continue to fundraise through events like the Falmouth Road Race and the Boston Marathon to keep the fund going.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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