An Inspiration for Us All

In addition to another storm earlier this week (no surprise!) and a speed workout on the Tufts track, we had a team meeting last night.  This was unlike any other team meeting I've experienced the last 2+ years, all due to the bombings last April. At this meeting 2 team members, both trauma counselors, talked about resilience, coping with trauma and how different people respond to such events. They then introduced Patrick, Jess & Rescue (their service dog); Patrick proceeded to tell us their story.

Forewarning, while not exactly graphic, some of the following may not be comfortable for everyone.

Patrick, a Cambridge native and Boston College graduate, talked about growing up in the area with the Boston Marathon.  He talked about watching the marathon during his years at BC and deciding to run it his senior year, struggling with the other 'humans' (i.e. not elites), but finishing with the support of his friends.  Patrick continued his story of meeting Jess in DC and living in Boston.  They were married in late summer 2012 and in early 2013 learned that they would be moving to San Francisco for Patrick's residency in the summer.  As the marathon approached, knowing it could be their last one in Boston, they headed to the finish line to cheer us 'humans' on.  As you can imagine, their story is inspiring because they were injured in the bombings. On 4.15.13, they each lost their left legs below the knee.

Patrick proceeded to talk about how he was knocked out & remembers little from that day, how Jess attempted to tie a tourniquet onto his leg while others put out the fire that was on her legs and how they have continued to overcome their physical injuries with ongoing PT, 15 surgeries each and relearning how to walk.  Mentally, Jess, a registered nurse, and Patrick, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, have a unique perspective on their recovery. As Patrick spoke, he did so with humor, humility and awe of those he has interacted with over the last year. While I could go into more details, perhaps more appropriate is the general feeling of awe, sympathy and inspiration that Patrick generated in us runners.

There are many inspirational stories: from last year's bombings, from runners on the team who are cancer survivors or have run for 20+ year and from our own lives.  As we run throughout training and on April 21, all of these will help us cross the finish line. Thank you for helping us achieve that goal.

Some additional links related to Patrick and Jess:
Article on Rescue, their service dog
Jess's Flashmob for Patrick
Boston Globe article on Patrick and Jess