Road to recovery
Boston Marathon survivor shares her story at Appreciation Luncheon
1:08 p.m., May 6, 2015--Heather Abbott, Boston Marathon survivor and amputee, addressed nearly 200 University of Delaware staff at an Appreciation Luncheon held recently on campus in honor of UD Women’s College Centennial Celebration. The luncheon was held as a special thank you to staff for their numerous and daily contributions to the University of Delaware.
In celebrating staff, Carol Henderson, vice provost for diversity, said, “Your contributions help our students have a wonderful experience at the University of Delaware. I’ve often said that if you want to make a wonderful community here, if we want to have diversity, and if we want to make our climate welcoming, it is your smiles when students come in the door, it is your compliments, it is your ability to connect with those students on a human level that makes their experience more welcoming.“
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Keynote speaker Heather Abbott, a human resource manager in Newport, Rhode Island, and spectator at Marathon Monday in Boston, was injured when shrapnel struck her from the second of two bombs on April 25, 2013, severely injuring her foot. After careful research and counseling, Abbott made the difficult decision to allow doctors to amputate her left leg below the knee, becoming one of 17 amputees affected by the tragedy, including seven men, eight other women and one child.
Recounting what started as an outing with friends to the Boston Red Sox game and the marathon that ultimately ended in tragedy, Abbott spoke passionately of her life prior to this national tragedy and her journey to transform to her new life as an amputee.
“We all have a strength inside us that we probably don’t know is there and when it’s called upon, it comes out”, Abbott said.
Expressing gratitude to her fellow Americans for their help, assistance and emotional support, Abbott said, “It really was amazing and continues to be amazing and really shows how a community can come together in a very tragic time.”
After meeting and being inspired by Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, Abbott decided to turn her “mess into a message” by sharing three life strategies that were significant in helping with her transition:
• Accepting what you can’t change;
• Allowing yourself to rely on others for support; and
• Paying it forward.
Believing that her experience has given her the opportunity to help other people, Abbott, in addition to her job as a human resource manager, now serves as a counselor for other amputees. She recently launched a foundation for those who have suffered limb loss as a result of traumatic injury, specifically women and girls.
Determined not to let the 2013 tragedy stop her from enjoying a wonderful experience, Abbott returned to the 2014 Boston Marathon stating, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world”.
Abbott is featured in the book, Long Mile Home by Scott Helman and Jenna Russell, a narrative documenting an event that changed many lives forever.
The staff appreciation luncheon also recognized two individuals for their contributions that helped shape the culture of the University campus as it relates to women’s issues and human rights issues as a whole. The Rev. Cecily Sawyer Harmon, former senior Employee Relations administrator for the Faculty Staff Assistance Program and currently chaplain of the Episcopal Campus Ministry; and Donna Tuites, former program coordinator/assistant director for the Office of Women’s Affairs and counselor for the Faculty Staff and Assistance Program at UD. Tuites currently works in a private counseling practice.
This event was sponsored by the vice provost for diversity.
Article by Dana Brittingham