Three people are dead. Over 170 people have been injured. There are still 17 innocent victims clinging to life. They are in critical condition and yet many more require additional surgery. Patients are scattered in about 5 or 6 of Boston’s best hospitals
Residents and Med students who had gone home or were taking a day off, went back to the hospitals. Nurses who had finished their shifts drove back. A trauma surgeon at Mass. general hasn’t been home in 2 days.
Off duty police and firemen came back to help. Civilians ran into the chaos, instead of away. Strangers tore off their own clothes to make tourniquets for the injured or keep them warm.
An eight year old boy died. He ran out to give his father a hug after he crossed the finish line. Then went back to the sidewalk to stand with his mother, brother and sister, when a bomb went off. He was killed. His mother and sister suffered severe injuries.
A 29 year old woman, with auburn red hair and a glowing smile, was there to cheer on a friend. The third person, was a Chinese Grad student, attending Boston University.
None of them had any idea that a celebratory day would turn them into victims of a cowardly, heinous act. This is an international tragedy, much like 911, because the marathon is an international event. People come to run from all over the world.
And though it may sound trite in light of all that has transpired and the severity of it, the runners that trained all year for this event, put everything into running the best race they could and maybe even borrowed or saved for years to come here so they could run this race and actually won, were never celebrated or acknowledged.
I don’t even know their names. I doubt many that did, now remember them. They were robbed too. They had about an hour and a half or so, of glory and then, much like the bomb that exploded into smoke and dissipated, so did all their work, effort, training, feelings of success and elation.
Pray for the remaining injured. Pray for their families. Let’s all be cognizant that we are still vulnerable, especially at public events, crowded areas, some of the places you would last think that this could happen. Look around. Be mindful.
There were a lot of heroes throughout this. We are each other’s keeper. We are in this together. We are all one, especially when it comes to this sort of thing. We know how to unite.
When the New York Yankees can hang their biggest rivals logo, the Boston Red Sox, together on the same banner with them and honor them and the city of Boston, then you know it has nothing to do with winning. Or cities, or fans, or games. All of that is left behind somewhere. It has to do with people. Plain and simple. Caring for each other. Because terrorism, hatred, disaster and the threat of death has no boundaries.
aboomersvoice 