I was blown up by a bomber and survived. Here’s how I kept on going

According to some doctors, I should have died…if I hadn’t been (partially) quite healthy when the incident happened. The incident happened several years ago, when he was blown up by a bomber while serving in a combat zone as a CIA employee. On the day of the attack, I had gone for a six-mile run to refresh myself at the U.S. military base there. Within hours, my life was never the same, but the loved ones of those killed suffered far greater loss and pain.

Just because I was injured in a combat zone doesn’t make me special. Many of our brothers and sisters, whether military or civilian, have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, you and me, or have been physically and/or mentally injured and scarred by the same act. Ta. Never forget that.

Although he has now recovered as much as possible from his initial injury, he still lives with metal hardware, screws and splinters in his body, chronic nerve pain and muscle loss, and other orthopedic issues. I consider myself one of the luckiest humans. alive.

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I’m not dramatic, I’m not playful, I don’t feel sorry for myself or anyone else, and I feel extremely lucky to be alive, let alone walk or run. As I mentioned above, when I spoke to several doctors weeks and months after sustaining my injury, some looked me in the face and made solemn comments about how I had cheated death. Did.

Surviving bombings, car accidents, fighting diseases, cheating and avoiding death will change your perspective on life. Without trying to be fatalistic or preachy, I take nothing for granted and cherish every moment I have on earth. I cherish even the “mundane” ordinary moments spent with my family and loved ones.

When it blew up, I remember lying there and saying to myself, “I have to stay awake so I don’t wake up again.” My children were small and I got to watch them grow up. I needed to see my wife again. As she said earlier, I am very lucky and I will never forget that.

When I was in the hospital a few days after the attack, my doctor asked me what I wanted to do when I recovered. I looked at him and whispered, “I want to be able to run again.” I think he and his wife looked at each other and told me I was lucky to just be able to walk, even though my spinal cord injury left me somewhat helpless in one leg.

It will be several months before we know what motion or ability will return or not. The first round of physical therapy got me back on my feet, but nothing else helped. While recuperating at home, I decided to return to the gym to regain as much strength and mobility as possible. It was a long journey, but I was determined.

I did this for my own physical and mental health, but more importantly, I did it for my family and to honor my deceased colleagues. I would say that the way I approached my recovery had an element of rebellion against those who had broken me and others down.

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Day 1, drag your feet and shuffle for 15 seconds at a time. Lift some weight. On the second day, try shuffling for 20 seconds at a time. Lift some weight. A few months later, I went for a very groggy, lazy mile jog, and it felt great. Keep moving. Please do it for me and my family. Please do so to honor our fallen heroes. Please do it because I can.

Fast forward to the present day, and as much as I “evangelize” on the topic of health and resilience, I’m still obsessive about managing my daily fitness. As a senior leader and manager/supervisor at CIA, I strongly supported and advocated for workplace wellness and resiliency programs for our employees. Because it was the right thing to do for them, and by extension their loved ones, which led to the following results. Plus, you’ll have a more motivated, inspired, and productive workforce.

Surviving bombings, car accidents, fighting diseases, cheating and avoiding death will change your perspective on life. Without trying to be fatalistic or preachy, I take nothing for granted and cherish every moment I have on earth. I cherish even the “mundane” ordinary moments spent with my family and loved ones.

I was careful not to sound too preachy or embarrass anyone, but I wanted to make sure that employees were free to dedicate their time to fitness/wellness activities (the definition of an activity varies from person to person). We have endeavored to create an environment where participation is encouraged. There is no one size fits all.

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For me, staying healthy was probably part of what kept me from dying from an attack, but it’s also helped me feel better, manage my chronic pain, and do things in my favor now. We continue to do everything we can. You might even call it therapeutic. Again, I’m lucky in a way. It was an incident that I was lucky to survive, and I was able to recover.

Just as there are people who randomly get sick and sick without having a chance to “survive” a “lack of strength” or a terminal illness, some people die. So I go back to what I said above. Don’t take anything for granted, cherish every moment you have here, tell your loved ones that you love them, and keep things positive. Something really important. Do everything you can to give yourself an advantage, both physically and mentally. Take care of yourself, if not for yourself, then for the sake of your loved ones. That should be all the motivation you need.