U. MT. BETHEL TWP., Pa. — A decade after the bombings, the mayhem and the deaths, Lisa Dente is finally returning to Boston — to run on those historic streets where cheers turned into screams and a welcoming sun was eclipsed by evil 10 years ago this weekend.
- Nazareth resident Lisa Dente will return to run the Boston Marathon on Monday
- Dente, 41, ran the marathon but was uninjured during the bombing in 2013
- Dente is running with a team that raises funding to assist families and individuals affected by PTSD
On Monday morning, the Bethlehem native and Nazareth resident will again stand at the starting line of this, the 126th Boston Marathon, for one reason:
To run. Because to do anything else would be akin to running away.
To run. Not simply because she can, but because she must.
“When I’m standing there, I’m sure there will be tears remembering what happened that day,” said Dente, 41, a kindergarten-through-second-grade reading specialist at Five Points Elementary School in the Bangor Area School District.
“I had finished the race about 20 minutes earlier and then heard the explosions. I felt the ground shake. I’ll never forget it."
“But this year, I’ll be thinking that I was meant to be there again. This trip for me will be for healing and for closure. It’ll be to show my kids that when bad things happen in your life, you can overcome them.”
Dente will return to Boston with her husband, her sister and two close friends. However, her return is not limited to affording herself an opportunity for closure.
"Now I’m going back for a bigger reason than myself, for a greater purpose."Lisa Dente, Nazareth resident
She will be one of the 10 runners from across the country representing Rebekah’s Angels, a national organization that raises money for trauma-focused therapy for children and families.
Rebekah Gregory and her young son, Noah, were injured by one of the two pressure-cooker bombs detonated as they stood just three feet from the bomb on a sidewalk near the finish line in 2013.
Gregory lost her left leg below the knee and has undergone 76 surgeries. Noah sustained only minor physical injuries.
The emotional toll
But while the physical aftermath has certainly been difficult, it has been nothing compared to the emotional turmoil they have both endured. After the bombing, they suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gregory saw how many other families were suffering through their own traumas, but could not afford the type of trauma-based treatment extended to her.
Through the generosity of residents and businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley, Dente has raised more than $9,100 for Rebekah’s Angels Foundation. (You can donate to her fundraiser by searching her name here.)
“When Rebekah started the fundraiser years ago, I ordered one of the T-shirts online,” Dente said. “Then she sent me a letter thanking me. That made it real for me."
“Rebekah couldn’t run the marathon with her prosthetic leg this year because of a recent surgery. I saw a Facebook post from her around the holidays that she had one spot available to join her team in Boston this year. I sent her my story. Two days later, she chose me.”
Dente paused as her emotions enveloped her.
“My husband thought I was crazy because I’d have to start fundraising right away,” she said. “I told him ‘I’ve failed at re-qualifying since then. But because Rebekah’s Angels is a charity, I don't have to qualify. I have to go back now. This is my chance.’”
“And now I’m going back for a bigger reason than myself, for a greater purpose. Mental health is a crisis in America. I’m coming full circle. This is just how things were meant to be.”
'I felt a level of guilt'
Dente recalled her previous time in Boston. She finished the race, heard the explosions and screamed, felt the ground shake and was startled by constantly wailing sirens that often startle her if she hears them today.
And then she came home.
“When I first came back from the marathon, it was strange because people were congratulating me,” Dente said. “I wasn’t injured, and I didn’t see the carnage. I felt a level of guilt."
“So, I’m going back. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself. That I’m a fighter. That I’ve persevered. That I don’t give up easily. Mostly I’ve learned there’s a greater purpose in life.”
A chunk of that purpose took place in front of young faces at Five Points Elementary on Friday morning. Dente’s fellow teachers filled her classroom with marathon-themed decorations. Dente’s kindergarten students recorded a video that brought her to tears.
“The little ones know Mrs. Dente is running a race, but they don’t know the background,” Dente said. “That’s OK. They’re excited. That’s great."
“But they don’t know why I have to go back.”
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, wrote: “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
That quote is on Dente’s Facebook page.
And in her soul.
