To improve the lives of people suffering from brain injury and disease by funding research to improve patient outcomes, raising awareness, and providing support for survivors and their families.
On March 8, 2015, Kathy suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. It’s because of Keck Medicine of USC, the extraordinary care by the medical team, and Dr Jonathan Russin, who successfully performed a rare procedure called a PICA-PICA bypass, that she survived. The technological advances in the treatment of this disease is how she is alive today and able to do the things she loves.
On March 8, 2015, Kathy suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. It’s because of Keck Medicine of USC, the extraordinary care by the medical team, and Dr Jonathan Russin, who successfully performed a rare procedure called a PICA-PICA bypass, that she survived. The technological advances in the treatment of this disease is how she is alive today and able to do the things she loves.
Kathy, along with support from her husband, Robby, founded WeRunWithYou.
She is an avid runner, accomplished triathlete, and mother of twins. Kathy has completed over 15 marathons, an ultra-marathon, and triathlons of all distances, including the 2013 IRONMAN in Florida.
She survived a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2015, an experience that motivated her to start #RunLAwithKathy and WeRunWithYou to give back and make a difference.
Kathy is the co-founder of WeRunWithYou with her husband, Rob Alvarez. She is an avid runner, accomplished triathlete, and mother of twins. Kathy has completed over 20 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, an ultra-marathon, and triathlons of all distances, including her most recent 2021 Ironman Arizona. She survived a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2015, an experience that motivated her to start #RunLAwithKathy and WeRunWithYou to give back. She created WeRunWithYou to help brain aneurysm survivors return to doing what they loved best through spreading awareness and inspiration, and fundraising for brain aneurysm research. She shares her love of running as a running coach, where she holds a Level 1 coaching certificate from the Road Runners Club of America. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara. She resides in Newark, DE with her husband Rob, their twins, and furry yorkiepoo.
Dr. Jonathan J. Russin is an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles, director of cerebrovascular surgery and founder of the neurorevascularization center. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Humanities degrees from Drew University. He received his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He completed his internship in general surgery and his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Southern California. He holds a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgery from the Barrow Neurosurgical Institute. Dr. Russin is a board-certified neurosurgeon and a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and the AANS Joint Cerebrovascular Section. He has served on the board of WeRunWithYou since it’s inception. Since meeting Kathy and Rob he has been an active participant in the WRWY community and stays active racing triathlon and running the LA Marathon annually with Kathy.
Laura joined WeRunWithYou as part of her journey to return to her longtime hobby of endurance training and racing, following a ruptured brain aneurysm while working out at home. Prior to her aneurysm in March 2022, Kern had completed 12 half Ironman races, 12 half marathons, 1 full Ironman, and four full marathons. In the latter, she ran a qualifying time for the 2020 Boston Marathon. Laura shares her love of endurance sports with her husband Steve, who she met while both were members of the Disney Triathlon Team. She has been at The Walt Disney Company for 14 years, and is currently Vice President of Corporate Alliances, where she oversees strategy for enterprise marketing partnerships globally with a focus on the consumer financial services category. She studied at Brown University before earning her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Prior to graduate school, she served in a number of development and programming roles in the non-profit space. Laura and Steve live with their two goldendoodles in La Cañada, CA.
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