Cassidy Trem was walking through a crosswalk near Aurora Farms Premium Outlets on South Chillicothe Road in March 2021 when a driver ran a red light while turning left and struck her, fracturing the tibial plateau in her right knee and tearing part of the labrum in her right hip. Five years later, the Aurora High School graduate and Kent State University pre-med student is preparing to run her third marathon — just weeks after an outpatient procedure on a compressed vein in her chest.
Trem began running in seventh grade to stay in shape for soccer, long before the crash reshaped her path, according to the Record-Courier. She described the extent of her injuries bluntly, telling reporters, “I broke my tibia plateau in my right knee and I also tore a part of my labrum in my hip of my right leg,” in earlier coverage of the crash from yahoo.com. She was in the crosswalk near the outlet mall when the collision happened, that report said.
Trem didn't let the injuries end her running. In October 2023, as a high school senior, she ran the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon — an event that drew roughly 4,000 marathon registrants and about 8,000 half-marathon runners that year, per the same report. She was also honored as one of five recipients of the Lashutka Spirit Award that year, a distinction recognizing marathon participants who overcame significant obstacles before competing.
A New Diagnosis Derails Ohio State Plans
After graduating high school in 2024, Trem enrolled at Ohio State University to study materials science and engineering and joined the school's women's rowing team. That December, everything changed again: she was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a group of conditions caused by pressure on blood vessels or nerves between the neck and shoulder, according to Mayo Clinic's description cited in the Record-Courier's reporting.
The condition is relatively uncommon and varies widely in how it presents. The article notes that thoracic outlet syndrome affects nerves in 95% of diagnosed cases and veins in just 4%, with the remainder involving arteries. Patients are typically diagnosed between ages 20 and 50, and treatment can range from physical therapy to surgery — Mayo Clinic notes that surgery may be suggested if nonsurgical treatments haven't worked or if symptoms worsen.
Three Surgeries, Then a Fourth Procedure
For Trem, nonsurgical treatment wasn't enough. She underwent two surgeries at Cleveland Clinic in 2025, each involving removal of a first rib and part of a nearby scalene muscle — one on the right side, then the same procedure on the left — to relieve nerve pressure. A third surgery followed in January 2026, when her pectoralis minor muscle in her upper chest was snipped for further relief, per the same account.
Even that wasn't the end of it. On Oct. 17, Trem had an outpatient procedure in which a balloon was inserted into her subclavian vein to reinflate it after the vein became compressed. She said she was told she should still be able to compete in the Indianapolis marathon despite the setback, and as of late October she said she was just starting to feel mostly better.
Switching Schools, Chasing Medicine
Somewhere amid the surgeries, Trem also switched schools. After two years at Ohio State, she transferred to Kent State University, where she's now a junior studying biotechnology on a pre-med track. She plans to pursue an M.D. and a Ph.D. concurrently, saying she hopes to become both a physician and a researcher.
Despite the medical detours, Trem kept running. She completed the Barcelona Marathon in Spain in March 2026, just months after her third surgery. Now she's preparing for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on Saturday — an event whose organizers describe its USATF-certified courses as fast and flat, according to the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon website, which also notes that general registration for all in-person distances this year is sold out.
Running for a Cause Beyond Herself
Trem said she trains when able, while avoiding overexertion, and that fundraising for the race helps motivate her to keep running. She's raising money for Ketchup to Cancer in connection with the Indianapolis race, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2025 by Alex Baker, who began running marathons to raise money for cancer-related causes after his wife's death in 2019.
Looking back on everything — the crash, the rowing career cut short, the diagnosis, three surgeries and a vein procedure just weeks before race day — Trem summed it up simply: she said she's had quite the journey.
