Brothers Injured in Bombing Recovering Together at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Brothers JP and Paul Norden reunited last Friday at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where they are both undergoing care for injuries sustained in the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. Used to seeing each other several times a day before the explosion that left them both without one leg, the brothers were glad for the reunion, though it will be short-lived—Paul is expected to be released from Spaulding soon for out-patient care, while JP will remain behind. “I can’t even describe…” Paul, 31, said when asked what it was like to be back with his brother. “I didn’t see him for 14 days, and it was so tough. I see him every day of my life. So it’s just amazing to be back to normal.” JP, 33, said of their reunion: “It’s the best thing ever.” At a press conference held Monday at Spaulding’s new location in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the Stoneham natives spoke about the many emotions they had experienced over the past month, the ups and downs of rehabilitation and their special bond as brothers—which comes with a healthy side of competition. Paul even joked that the hospital that treated him after the bombing, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was better than Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which treated JP. (Both brothers had nothing but good things to say about their respective medical teams.) At Spaulding, the brothers are able to visit each other’s rooms, and Paul said, once he’s been discharged, he plans to visit JP every day. “Unfortunately, I do believe it does help [to be recovering together]. I’d rather it not be that way, but it is that way,” Paul said. “We’re going to work hard and get through this.” The pair also said they were grateful for the overwhelming support of their family, friends, doctors and first responders—as well as people they had never met who have rallied around them to raise funds or just to say hi. “The managers must go nuts here [at Spaulding]—we’ve got 30 visitors a day,” JP said. “They’re the ones that keep us positive.” “I’ve had Facebook people from Britain asking how I’m doing. It’s really been nice to know that people care,” he added. The brothers said they are concerned about friends who were also injured in the bombing but that they were focusing on their own recovery. “We think of all the other friends of ours that got hurt, but we have to focus on ourselves getting better first,” Paul said. JP and Paul Norden were spectators, waiting for a friend to finish the Boston Marathon, when the two explosions went off. The moments after the explosions […]
Categories: Arrests Tags: Bombing, Brothers, Hospital, Injured, Recovering, Rehabilitation, Spaulding, Together
Spaulding To Host ‘Boston Strong’ Celebration Tonight
Though a community open house on Sunday was postponed Friday in the midst of a citywide lockdown and manhunt for suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, Spaulding Rehabilitation Center will go ahead with other plans to celebrate its grand opening in the Charlestown Navy Yard this weekend. Spaulding representatives had planned to hold a small thank you gala for donors, staff and local and state officials Friday night, but the event was canceled. Following Friday’s arrest, an even bigger celebration has been organized for tonight, with a performance by the Boston Pops, speaker Mayor Tom Menino and a “rousing sing-a-long” of “Sweet Caroline”—a special nod to the city’s “Boston Strong” spirit. “I’ve never been more proud to be part of Boston and Spaulding,” David Storto, president of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, said in a statement. “Our gathering tonight will reaffirm the spirit of resilience both in the people of our city and the drive of our patients and caregivers who never give up.” The recently completed nine-story building at the corner of 16th Street and First Avenue in the Charlestown Navy Yard will provide a new home for the staff and patients currently at 125 Nashua St. The Spaulding network, part of the Partners HealthCare system, offers in- and out-patient services for people recovering from and adapting to a range of issues, including spinal cord and brain injuries, strokes, amputations and burns. Menino himself benefitted from Spaulding’s therapy services late last fall after he suffered a back compression fracture following other health problems. “As a former patient myself, I can personally speak to the amazing care that happens at Spaulding,” Menino said in a statement released Saturday. “While this hospital has been planned for many years, as we all process these past few days, its importance to our region has never been more evident and necessary.” Tonight’s event, which is closed to the public, will include a moment of silence, recognition of Spaulding clinicians—who were among the first responders at the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing—and a singing of “Sweet Caroline” to celebrate “the indomitable spirit of the people of Boston,” according to a statement. The community open house and health fair, previously scheduled for Sunday, April 21, has been postponed. Spaulding spokesman Tim Sullivan said organizers hope to reschedule the event for later this spring, possibly in late May or June. South End Patch