Brigham Health and Cigna announce the successful completion of the 2021 Step Up for Stepping Strong challenge, a month-long program held in May in which 5,360 participants from 31 teams took 617 million collective steps in support of trauma survivors. In honor of the community's virtual participation, and surpassing the 500 million steps goal, Cigna is making a $100,000 gift to support The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The Stepping Strong Center fuels the continuum of trauma research and care—from prevention to recovery to rehabilitation—to benefit civilians and military personnel worldwide who have suffered from the devastation of traumatic injuries. Audrey Epstein Reny, together with her family, established the center at the Brigham to honor her daughter, Gillian, a survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. "It's inspiring to see thousands of people from across the world come together year after year to help turn tragedy into hope for survivors of traumatic injuries," says Reny. "We are proud to say that the sense of community and shared purpose of our global participants is stronger than ever."
Through the combined efforts of the Stepping Strong Center, Brigham Health, and Cigna, the presenting sponsor, participants learned about the societal impact of trauma; received health, wellness, and nutrition information; and were encouraged to do their part to help reach the 500 million step collective goal.
"Despite the disruption we all experienced during the past year, Step Up for Stepping Strong continued to bring people together as a community to support trauma survivors while creating awareness for healthy lifestyles," says Mark Butler, president for Cigna's New England market. "Cigna is proud to work alongside the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at the Brigham for the fourth consecutive year on this wonderful program that fosters healing and peace of mind."
Brigham Health Interim President and Chief Medical Officer Sunil Eappen, MD, MBA, adds, "We are grateful to partner with Cigna once again to promote healthy lifestyles and transform the lives of trauma survivors."
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