Boston Strong
Title
Boston Strong
Catalog Entry
Boston Strong is one thing you will often see when reading about the Marathon bombings. These two words mean so much to many people from Boston as they show how the community is strong together. In this image, you can see a prosthetic leg with a “Boston Strong” sticker on it. This leg belongs to Roseann Sdoia, who is a Boston marathon bombing survivor. The leg has a special meaning to it as I believe it shows great strength and resilience. I believe this because of the “Boston Strong” message on it. I love the fact that this is on the leg because in the bombing many people lost limbs and need to have prosthetics just like this. It's hard going through this, but strength can get them through this. It's a beautiful image and beautiful prosthetic leg because it shows the struggle that many needed to go through in order to live a normal life again, but also how many are using these two words to remind themselves to stay strong and power through.
Sdoia is now a motivational speaker and an author. She isn’t the type of person who is shy of her lack of a leg. In fact in a gig she was walking up to the stage and swung up her prosthetic leg and refused help from others. She says it is something she would have done before this and that she does anything that makes her feel less disabled. I think this is a good example of how she is strong. It shows that even with this setback she still tries to be herself and think about what she would have done before this traumatic event. Instead of being hurt by this she continues to be herself and be strong throughout her journey.
Still after many years, according to Sdoia she still wakes up and thinks, “Oh my god I don't have a leg.” She talks about no matter how much she sees it she still has trouble really thinking about what happened to her leg. After experiencing such a traumatic event, to get a prosthetic leg is a hard task. Replacing your own leg with a fake metal leg could be an unsual feeling. Instead of complaining about it Sdoia worked to live her life normally again with her new leg. In the photo she is attempting to walk with the help of parallel bars to guide her forward. I think to do something like this requires great strength. Not many people get put in the position where you have to adapt your life to this new lifestyle.
Truthfully, I know this would be hard for me. Everyday I use all my limbs for everything and for that to be taken away from me I would not know how to act and how to live my life, when walking from my room to the bathroom, or going to the dining hall, or even driving my car. We use these limbs for everything for our lives. This prosthetic leg shows a lot of strength because many in the world may not be able to live like that. Yet Sdoia is able to push through because she is Boston Strong.
Sdoia is now a motivational speaker and an author. She isn’t the type of person who is shy of her lack of a leg. In fact in a gig she was walking up to the stage and swung up her prosthetic leg and refused help from others. She says it is something she would have done before this and that she does anything that makes her feel less disabled. I think this is a good example of how she is strong. It shows that even with this setback she still tries to be herself and think about what she would have done before this traumatic event. Instead of being hurt by this she continues to be herself and be strong throughout her journey.
Still after many years, according to Sdoia she still wakes up and thinks, “Oh my god I don't have a leg.” She talks about no matter how much she sees it she still has trouble really thinking about what happened to her leg. After experiencing such a traumatic event, to get a prosthetic leg is a hard task. Replacing your own leg with a fake metal leg could be an unsual feeling. Instead of complaining about it Sdoia worked to live her life normally again with her new leg. In the photo she is attempting to walk with the help of parallel bars to guide her forward. I think to do something like this requires great strength. Not many people get put in the position where you have to adapt your life to this new lifestyle.
Truthfully, I know this would be hard for me. Everyday I use all my limbs for everything and for that to be taken away from me I would not know how to act and how to live my life, when walking from my room to the bathroom, or going to the dining hall, or even driving my car. We use these limbs for everything for our lives. This prosthetic leg shows a lot of strength because many in the world may not be able to live like that. Yet Sdoia is able to push through because she is Boston Strong.
Bibliography
Bebinger, Martha. “Marathon Bombing Victim Makes Strides Toward Her New Normal.” WBUR, 24 Sept. 2013,
www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2013/09/24/marathon-bombing-victim-makes-strides-towar d-her-new-normal.
Smith, Tovia. “Sharing Lessons Of Resilience, 5 Years After The Boston Bombing.” NPR, 15 Apr. 2018,
www.npr.org/2018/04/15/601816832/sharing-lessons-of-resilience-5-years-after-the-boston -bombing.
www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2013/09/24/marathon-bombing-victim-makes-strides-towar d-her-new-normal.
Smith, Tovia. “Sharing Lessons Of Resilience, 5 Years After The Boston Bombing.” NPR, 15 Apr. 2018,
www.npr.org/2018/04/15/601816832/sharing-lessons-of-resilience-5-years-after-the-boston -bombing.
ALFA Mentor
Bill Ayadi
Collection
Citation
“Boston Strong,” Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed April 26, 2024, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/165.