At a recent conference on medical technologies that included presentations on medical simulations (animated medical situations such as found on the battlefield) and injured manikins, we met the guest singer, Theresa Sareo. She was unforgettable because she had only one leg. Her story was one of sadness but more importantly, one of recovery and great triumph. While I expect one never fully recovers from a near-death situation, it is what Theresa has become that is the story. She is a role model for thousands of soldiers and others who have had life-altering traumatic injuries. With Theresa, her gift of song makes her extra special. Before her accident, she was already an accomplished singer-song writer in New York City. After her accident, she is now an ambassador to wounded warriors and others, and who is also a singer-song writer.
I am always encouraged to hear about someone who defies significant odds to live a renewed, purposeful life. After visiting Walter Reed Army Hospital, Theresa was moved to adopt the cause of supporting wounded warriors. She subsequently wrote a song, "Through a Soldier's Eye," as a tribute to soldiers and what they endure. It has been adopted as the 'anthem' for wounded warriors. For the past three years, she has volunteered many hours to travel to events here and abroad to encourage and entertain wounded warriors. We were honored to join Theresa as her guests at the closing ceremonies for Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC where she was the guest singer at the closing. A celebration concert was later provided by the Doobie Brothers where Theresa was asked to join them in a song (View this photo). Very special!
Here is the back story. On June 11, 2002 at the corner of 34th St and Park Avenue in New York City, Theresa Sareo's life changed forever. She remembers the date as nine months to the day of 9/11 (Sept. 9, 2011), the day of the airline terrorists attacks on the World Trade buildings, the Pentagon, and the crash of the last hijacked plane in a Pennsylvania field.
At 2:45 pm Theresa was struck by an impaired driver while waiting on the street corner. The impact disarticulated her entire right leg at the ball socket. The surgeon at Bellevue Hospital said, "It was as if a grenade had exploded in her pocket leaving a cavity the size of a large bowl in her right side." Theresa's internal organs were exposed, her leg was hanging by a bit of flesh, and she was to lose half of her blood on that corner.
A dentist, trained in advanced cardiac life support, happened to be walking by and was the first help to arrive at the scene. He acted quickly and organized bystanders to help until the EMTs arrived 10 minutes after the accident. The dentist was certain that Theresa was going to die and cried for her.
When brought to emergency, the director of trauma services at Bellevue Hospital felt in his heart that Theresa was not going to make it. The surgeon reported to Theresa's boyfriend that she was stable, her internal organs appeared OK, there was no head trauma, and she lost her leg. But he could not guarantee her survival.
Theresa was in a coma for nearly a week. Shortly after awakening, she said, "I want to live!" Two months after the near-death experience, Theresa sang the National Anthem at a baseball game! Her trauma surgeon can't explain why Theresa survived. "It is an unanswerable question that gets to the mystery of life."
Theresa's story is being made into a documentary, Alive Again! Alive Again! is also the title of her latest album of songs.
The accident details in this blog were excerpted from the article, Crash, in the New York Magazine written by Greg Williams (May 21, 2005).
Theresa's motto: "Believe in the miracle you are!"
(More about Theresa: www.theresasareo.com, www.aliveagainmovie.com, www.facebook.com, www.myspace.com/theresasareo)
© Baldwin H. Tom CMC
www.tbgroupconsultants.com
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