On Monday, April 15, 2013, Bill White '63 stood near the finish line of the Boston Marathon with his wife, Mary Jo, and his son Kevin, to cheer on his boss. Suddenly, a blast shook the ground around them. White, a Vietnam Veteran Infantry Officer and purple heart and bronze star recipient, found himself covered in blood. "I looked over at my wife, and I saw smoke coming out of her hair. I asked her if she was okay, but she couldn't hear me, because there was so much noise, so many sirens blasting." As someone who had seen violence in the wear, Bill had no illusions about the extent of his injuries. "I knew I was going to die."
White was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. Upon arrival, he did die, twice, and was brought back to life. White attributes his survival in large part to one man — a Boston police officer named Bobby Butler who rushed to his aid with a tourniquet.
When White woke up to find that his right leg had been amputated above the knee, he realized he had a decision to make. "Either I was going to give up or I was going to work hard and recover."
He had overcome challenges before, though none as extreme as losing his leg. As a young student at Rider, he struggled his first semester. In his sophomore year, he joined Delta Sigma Pi and found support with his fraternity brothers. His grades improved and he graduated with a degree in business administration that has served him well in his 40-year business career.
As one of 17 Boston Marathon bombing survivors who lost limbs to amputation, the encouragement of comrades has helped White with the difficult physical therapy required daily. "We're all having to learn how to maintain harmony with this other part of ourselves who feels completely foreign," White says. "It was a relief to know that others were experiencing the same challenges."
On the one-year anniversary of the bombing, White participated in a 1-K walk for the survivors. At his side was the police officer who saved his life. "He was with me at the starting point, and he kept walking with me," White says. "When I began to waver, he said, 'You aren't going to quit. You are going to finish this race.' And we did."
Bill lives in Bolton, Ma. and encourages his college friends and fraternity brothers to reach out to him at wm.white@comcast.net.
Read White's story in his own words.