Roseann Sdoia spoke at Urban Campus on April 9 about her experience during the Boston Marathon bombing as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and DMACC’s War and the Human Experience speaker series. She was near the finish line waiting to cheer on her friends on April 15, 2013, when it happened. She said, “I remember everything from that day, and it changed my life.”
Right after the bombs went off, everything was chaotic and confusing. People were running everywhere and nobody really knew what was going on. She got seriously injured and ended up losing her leg. She said, “The hardest part was not just the injury but everything after it mentally.”
Sdoia said, “My family and friends helped me a lot during recovery.” She also got support from combat vets, amputees, and legal support people who understood what she was going through, because they knew what it was like. She still keeps in touch with the three people who helped her right after the bombing.
One of those people was a firefighter who rode with her to the hospital. She said, “I don’t recommend this, but I married the firefighter who saved my life.”
Students and staff who attended were impacted by her story. DMACC History Professor Matt Walsh talked about how younger students can learn from stories like this. “We have some non-traditional students, but a lot of them are 18–19 years old. She talked about Shores, the young man who ran over and saved her life or played a big part in it, and the bomber was 19. We do these things as 19-year-olds and we don’t fully understand how that could influence somebody in a negative way,” Walsh said. “There’s other things that people are doing that are wonderful and they don’t realize how much good they’re doing.”
In addition to connecting with others, humor helped her get through everything. “Even after all of it, I still laugh and joke. What kept me going was my love of life and not wanting to give up,” Sdoia said. “Being resilient means not giving up even when things are bad.”
Walsh said, “She’s been through so much and accepted her situation. You’re having a bad day, a bad moment, it kind of pales in comparison to what she’s dealt with.”
Now she goes around and tells her story. “I am proud of paying it forward and helping other people going through hard times,” Sdoia said. “It still sucks but keep trying.”