Matthew Long's road to recovery has been a long one.
The New York Times reported that Mr. Long, 42, a New York City firefighter and a former triathlete and competitive marathoner, had been critically injured when he was hit by a chartered bus as he was biking to work during the transit workers’ strike in December 2005.
The bus pinned him and his bicycle to the pavement at a Midtown intersection. He underwent three days of emergency operations and received more than 60 pints of blood.
He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where doctors spent several days just trying to keep him alive, then began to treat extensive damage to his right shoulder, pelvis, both legs and a foot, and repair severe injuries to his torso and gastrointestinal system. He needed skin grafts and muscle grafts, and parts of his body had to be rebuilt.
This is an amazing story, a great comeback for the son of New York State Conservative Chairman Mike Long.
The Iona College alumnus described his personal struggle to not just run again -- but live again.
“I was crying and saying, ‘I wanted this, I planned on that,’ and finally I just stopped and said, ‘I will run again.’ ”
Anyone who knows the Long family, also knows their gritty determination and resilient character.
Firefighter Faced Death, Now Faces NYC Marathon: CBS News
"Mom, it may hurt but I'm back and all your prayers have been answered," Long said. "She'll like that – [I've] got to stay in Mom's good graces."
The comeback will be complete next weekend, when Matthew Long runs in the NYC Marathon.
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