After Bouvé student Sebastien Chenin was diagnosed with vascular thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS), resulting in the removal of a rib, he was told he would never be able to exercise to the same extent as before. Determined to prove to himself that he could overcome a major setback, Chenin began running.
In October of 2024, he ran the Newport Marathon in Rhode Island alongside his best friend. He said he would never run another marathon but shortly after, he found out about an opportunity to help raise money for his employer, Boston Medical Center, by running the world’s oldest and most well-known race, the Boston Marathon.
“I told myself it would be amazing to be able to join that team… not only to run as an example to others of being able to recover from surgery and get in healthy shape again, but also to represent Northeastern, Bouvé, and BMC on a larger scale,” Chenin said.
Chenin came to Boston from Houston, Texas six years ago to join Northeastern’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. Just months away from graduation, Chenin is looking forward to continuing his career with a fellowship in the pharmaceutical industry.
“I chose to go into Pharmacy as a way to help patients and be involved in the healthcare industry and, the way I see it, running this marathon with BMC is simply an extension of that where I get to do the same thing albeit unconventionally,” Chenin said. “Everything I do, I do for my single mother in Houston and my greatest goal is to make her proud and hopefully soon support her as she’s done for so many years for me.”
So far, Chenin has raised 75% of his goal and will continue fundraising and training until race day on Monday, April 21, 2025.
“No matter our connection, this is objectively a beautiful cause to support, and I promise to put on my best performance come race day,” he said.
Learn more and make your donation via Sebastien’s fundraising page or Venmo.
