PEABODY — When Peabody native Sydney Southern needed to relearn how to walk, Massachusetts General Hospital was there for her. So it’s only right that next week she will be running the Boston Marathon in their name.
In 2013, as a senior at Bentley University, Southern began experiencing some pretty serious hip pain, making it difficult for her to walk or run. When it became obvious that resting and icing was not enough to manage her pain, Southern’s doctor decided to give her some cortisone shots.
“Those things are obviously like miracle drugs,” Southern said of the shots.
When those shots wore off in the spring of 2014 and her pain returned, making it hard to walk or even sit down, it was time to reevaluate. Southern went to a local doctor for an X-ray — and that’s when the tumor was discovered.
“From there, the whole thing kind of happened fast,” she reflected. “So I went to Mass General, got an MRI, and I was diagnosed with what is called a giant cell tumor, which is like a wild name for a tumor… It’s a pretty aggressive tumor, and essentially just eats away at bone. So the reason I was having hip pain was because it was just eating and hollowing out my left femur.”
She explained that the doctors “scraped the tumor out, filled it with bone cement; they reinforced it with rods and screws, and so that’s what’s in my hip now.”
At the beginning of her recovery, Southern’s doctor told her verbatim: “You should really only run if you’re being chased.” But over the last 12 years, Southern has been able to move from low-impact exercise — like Pilates and yoga — toward kickboxing, then skiing, then basketball, ultimately being cleared to run, even when she isn’t being chased.
“Before all of this, I don’t think I would have ever really considered running the marathon, but I think when you are in a position when you are not able to do something, it suddenly makes you want to do it a little more,” Southern said.
Southern was never a long-distance runner, but she’s always been athletic. She grew up as a triple-sport athlete at Bishop Fenwick, playing soccer, basketball, and softball. In college, she picked up intramural basketball and ultimate frisbee.
“Running as a sport is a little bit cathartic, and I think it’s you against you, which is kind of interesting,” Southern said. “I have found joy when it’s honestly over, which sounds crazy, but running itself is so hard, physically and mentally, but when you’re done, and you feel so accomplished, there is something so fulfilling to be like, ‘I did something I didn’t think I was able to do or I haven’t done before.’”
She said her running resume “is not long or deep by any means,” as her experiences lie with Turkey Trot 5Ks and a half-marathon in Philadelphia, Pa.
“I ran a couple races, and all of a sudden I was like, ‘I think I’m going to take on the marathon,’ which might sound crazy, but I think I can do it,” Southern said.
Southern emphasized that she knew if she was ever to run a marathon, it would be Boston, and it would certainly be for Mass General. She noted that she’s actually applied to run for MGH in past years, but because that pool is so big and competitive, the stars didn’t align until this year.
“I feel like it’s this full circle moment, in a sense, to be like: This is where it started, and these are the people and the doctors and nurses and staff that got me to this place,” Southern shared. “I’m just so grateful to be able to wear the MGH name on my singlet.”
Southern said she has been picturing the moment of crossing the finish line and has gotten emotional over the thought of what that moment will mean for her.
“Crossing that finish line is not just the accomplishment of the 26.2 miles that I’ll run that day, but the last 12 years of all the ups and downs and challenges and tears and frustration — also triumphs and overcoming things that I thought were harder, and then I did them, and I was like, ‘Oh, I can do hard things,’” Southern said.
