Perfect Strangers: Friendship, Strength, and Recovery After Boston's Worst Day

by Roseann Sdoia, Jennifer Jordan (With)

Overview

Four lives brought together in a deadly moment prove that being in the wrong place at the worst time can lead to life's biggest adventures and most important relationships

As Roseann Sdoia waited to watch her friend cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013, she had no idea her life was about to change-that in a matter of minutes she would look up from the sidewalk, burned and deaf, staring at her detached foot, screaming for help amid the smoke and blood.

In the chaos of the minutes that followed, three people would enter Roseann's life and change it forever. The first was Shores Salter, a college student who, when the bomb went off, instinctively ran into the smoke while his friends ran away. He found Roseann lying on the sidewalk and, using a belt as a tourniquet, literally saved her life that day. Then, Boston police officer Shana Cottone arrived on the scene and began screaming desperately at passing ambulances, all full, before finally commandeering an empty paddy wagon. Just then a giant appeared, in the form of Boston firefighter Mike Materia, who carefully lifted her into the fetid paddy wagon. He climbed in and held her burned hand all the way to the hospital. Since that day, he hasn't left her side, and today they are planning their life together.

Perfect Strangers is about recovery, about choosing joy and human connection over anger and resentment, and most of all, it's about an unlikely but enduring friendship that grew out of the tragedy of Boston's worst day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610397001
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Roseann Sdoia is a public speaker and advocate for challenged athletes. She was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, a suburb north of Boston. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts/Lowell, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her career in real estate management. After two years working in LA and then Florida, she realized that all of her vacations were spent traveling home to New England, so she returned to Boston.

Dedicated to both her professional and personal lives, Roseann's circle of friends and family is legendary — even her trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital gave up on his "one guest for only fifteen minutes per hour" rule when he saw her line of visitors stretched down the hospital corridor. She is committed to one day running the entire 26.2 mile Boston Marathon. In November of 2014, she completed her first 5K race since the bombing so she is on her way. Perfect Strangers is her first book.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Two Years Later 1

1 Vertically Challenged 5

2 Before 19

3 The Little White Sock 31

4 "STRIKE THE BOX!" 51

5 Boston's Finest-Police Officer Shana Cottone 75

6 Awake 95

7 The Kid with the Tourniquet 123

8 Let the Healing Begin 145

9 One Step at a Time 173

10 Genie-The New Normal 189

11 Two Steps Forward, One or Two Back 201

12 The Brothers and Their Bombs 217

13 The Last Half Mile 225

Epilogue: Moving On 233

Resources: For Those Not as "Lucky" as I Was 239

Acknowledgments 243

Editorial Reviews

01/02/2017
It takes a remarkable person to convince you they have gained more than they lost after having a leg blown off in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. But that’s exactly what Sdoia does in her frank, personal account of that horrific day. Describing herself as stubborn and determined even as a kid, she conveys that strength in relating how she survived after realizing she would lose her right leg and might bleed to death. In a spare but emotional register, Sdoia describes how three people rescued her. College student Shores Salter ran into the chaos and held the tourniquet tight enough that she didn’t bleed out. No-nonsense cop Shana Cottone commandeered a police van to get her to the hospital. Mike Materia, a big, stoic Boston firefighter and Iraq War veteran, got her off the street and into the van. The book movingly describes how the four of them, bonding over the rescue and Sdoia’s difficult recovery, became as close as family. Sdoia is unsparing in describing her own weaknesses as well as her strength, but this candor only makes her story all the more inspiring. Agent: Katherine Flynn, Kneerim and Williams. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Roseann is a warrior who brings light to everyone around her. Perfect Strangers is an amazing story of strength and friendship."—Jeff Bauman, author of Stronger

"With humor and her trademark Boston honesty, Roseann gives us an intimate portrait of what really happened that day, the raw insight on her rehab post amputation and the healing journey she is on with Shana, Shores and Mike. This candid memoir shares it all, including a beautiful and triumphant love story, that kept me turning the pages."—Sarah Reinertsen, Paralympian and Nike Athlete

"Roseann perfectly captures the feelings that so many of us experienced while lying on the streets of Boston awaiting help, wondering whether or not we would live. Her raw and honest narration is a true reflection of her 'tell it like it is' personality and a moving account of the heroism, friendships, and love she found as a result. Her silver lining sparkles, proving that good can always prevail."—Heather J. Abbott, President, Heather Abbott Foundation

"From the outside it is hard to find anything good that came from the events of April 15, 2013. But Perfect Strangers shows us that there can be a positive outcome from such a tragic event. This personal story of unexpected loss and tragedy on our home soil will resonate with all Americans. It reinforces the American spirit and that people can be brought together in the darkest of times. This book will touch you deeply and leave you feeling hopeful about humanity and what the human spirit can endure.—Melissa Stockwell, Veteran and Paralympic medalist

"A frank, personal account... Sdoia is unsparing in describing her own weaknesses as well as her strength, but this candor only makes her story all the more inspiring."—Publishers Weekly

"A tapestry of solidarity, unity, love, and selfless humanity...A moving testimonial to the transformative power of human compassion and connection amid catastrophe."—Kirkus Reviews

"Sdoia expresses her understanding of how trauma shapes people differently and how their connection, strengthened by loss, has provided a key constant and comfort in four lives."
—Booklist

From the Publisher

2017-01-10
A survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attacks reflects on the trio of fearless individuals who saved her life and rescued countless others.Sdoia passionately recalls the events leading up to and immediately following the terrorist attack, a day that "went from being pure celebration to desperate survival." She shares her history as a family girl drawn away to California for several years but always returning home to Massachusetts to friends and family, and she describes herself as having a "complicated relationship with running." Yet standing on the sidelines of the Boston Marathon that day, the seasoned 5K runner became so energized and rejuvenated by the runners' excitement and sheer determination, she promised herself to enter the race the following year. After her right foot was blown off by one of two pressure-cooker bombs planted near the finish line, she was immediately tended to by Northeastern University student Shores Salter, Boston police officer Shana Cottone, and a nearby physician, all who assisted in tying a makeshift tourniquet around her mutilated leg. She was raced to the hospital by firefighter Mike Materia, who stayed with her throughout the entire ordeal and beyond. With her leg medically amputated just above the knee, the author's agonizing physical and psychological recovery began. She also established a significant connection with Materia, who stayed in constant contact as she was rehabilitated back to health, and they became swept into an enduring romantic relationship. Each of the three who participated in Sdoia's valiant rescue is fondly profiled, showing his or her personality as an honest, hardworking, and unexpectedly heroic Bostonian. The author considers all three as "family," and her book spins the events of that tragic afternoon into a tapestry of solidarity, unity, love, and selfless humanity. Aside from instances of repetitiveness, the book is heartfelt and honest. Though the bombers "took away that day," she writes, "we're taking it back." A moving testimonial to the transformative power of human compassion and connection amid catastrophe.

Kirkus Reviews