Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor to Give Talk on Resilience

Longmeadow, MA— When you think of the word recovery, it’s easy to associate it with a marathon runner. 26.2 miles is hard on the body, and any runner knows that recovery is a pivotal part of training. The same can be said about the word resilience. Running long distance is as much a mental victory as it is a physical one.

How might that resilience and recovery come into play when a marathon runner comes face to face with tragedy?  Amy O’Neill was only a half of a block away from the finish line when the second of two bombs exploded at the 2013 Boston Marathon. For O’Neill, a 25-year mental health professional and an endurance athlete (3x Ironman Triathlon Finisher and now 5x Boston Marathon finisher), recovery and resilience were critical components of her return to Boston one year later to run the 2014 Boston Marathon.

O’Neill will be on the Bay Path University campus presenting tools to overcome perceived adversity, reduce stress, and thrive in the workplace and life. She will share her journey through the 4 R’s (redefine, reconstruct, rebuild, and re-emerge) as a marathon survivor and discuss the ways they prove useful for any moment in life when you find yourself facing an identity crisis due to change.

The free event, scheduled for October 2 at 7:00 p.m., is open to the public, and will be held at Mills Theatre in Carr Hall, Bay Path University, 588 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow.

This event is co-sponsored by Bay Path University’s Strategic Alliances and the WM. & Margery Sadowsky Center for Adult Learning at the JCC.