Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us
It was a beautiful fall day in Connecticut when Colleen Kelly Alexander, a lifelong athlete, rode her bike home from work. She had survived both a diagnosis of lupus and brain surgery, had a fulfilling career, and was married at last to the love of her life. Everything was good as she coasted along, meeting the eyes of a truck driver as he approached the stop sign beside her.

He didn't stop. The truck hit Colleen, running over her lower body with front and back tires and dragging her across the pavement. As she bled out in the street, nearby strangers surrounded her and the driver attempted to get away. An EMT herself, Colleen knew she had to stay awake. "I've just been reconnected with my soulmate," she told the medic. "We want to have a baby. I can't die now. Please don't let me die."

Five weeks in a coma and twenty-nine surgeries later, Colleen survived. Rather than let the trauma and PTSD control her life, she became determined to find a way to make something positive from her pain. She decided she'd run again and dedicate her race medals to the everyday heroes around us, including the medical staff and blood donors who saved her life. Since then Colleen has run fifty races and completed forty triathlons, including four half-Ironman events. Now a spokesperson for the Red Cross, Colleen shares her incredible inspirational story to encourage others to take that first step forward.
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Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us
It was a beautiful fall day in Connecticut when Colleen Kelly Alexander, a lifelong athlete, rode her bike home from work. She had survived both a diagnosis of lupus and brain surgery, had a fulfilling career, and was married at last to the love of her life. Everything was good as she coasted along, meeting the eyes of a truck driver as he approached the stop sign beside her.

He didn't stop. The truck hit Colleen, running over her lower body with front and back tires and dragging her across the pavement. As she bled out in the street, nearby strangers surrounded her and the driver attempted to get away. An EMT herself, Colleen knew she had to stay awake. "I've just been reconnected with my soulmate," she told the medic. "We want to have a baby. I can't die now. Please don't let me die."

Five weeks in a coma and twenty-nine surgeries later, Colleen survived. Rather than let the trauma and PTSD control her life, she became determined to find a way to make something positive from her pain. She decided she'd run again and dedicate her race medals to the everyday heroes around us, including the medical staff and blood donors who saved her life. Since then Colleen has run fifty races and completed forty triathlons, including four half-Ironman events. Now a spokesperson for the Red Cross, Colleen shares her incredible inspirational story to encourage others to take that first step forward.
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Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us

Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us

Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us

Gratitude in Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us

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Overview

It was a beautiful fall day in Connecticut when Colleen Kelly Alexander, a lifelong athlete, rode her bike home from work. She had survived both a diagnosis of lupus and brain surgery, had a fulfilling career, and was married at last to the love of her life. Everything was good as she coasted along, meeting the eyes of a truck driver as he approached the stop sign beside her.

He didn't stop. The truck hit Colleen, running over her lower body with front and back tires and dragging her across the pavement. As she bled out in the street, nearby strangers surrounded her and the driver attempted to get away. An EMT herself, Colleen knew she had to stay awake. "I've just been reconnected with my soulmate," she told the medic. "We want to have a baby. I can't die now. Please don't let me die."

Five weeks in a coma and twenty-nine surgeries later, Colleen survived. Rather than let the trauma and PTSD control her life, she became determined to find a way to make something positive from her pain. She decided she'd run again and dedicate her race medals to the everyday heroes around us, including the medical staff and blood donors who saved her life. Since then Colleen has run fifty races and completed forty triathlons, including four half-Ironman events. Now a spokesperson for the Red Cross, Colleen shares her incredible inspirational story to encourage others to take that first step forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781455571130
Publisher: Center Street
Publication date: 01/16/2018
Pages: 296
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Colleen Kelly Alexander is a lifelong athlete and motivational speaker. With her indomitable spirit and amazing story of survival, Colleen teaches others how to aim higher, be stronger, and use adversity as a catalyst to make themselves and the world better. She was the executive director of the Common Ground Youth Center in Vermont for eight years, and a regional program manager for PeaceJam, where Nobel Peace Prize laureates mentor youth. She has also worked for, volunteered for, and is heavily involved with the Red Cross. She lives in a New England coastal town with her husband and their three dogs and cat.

Jenna Glatzer (www.jennaglatzer.com) is the author or ghostwriter of twenty-nine books, including Celine Dion's authorized biography and The Marilyn Monroe Treasures. She and her daughter live in New York.

Table of Contents

Foreword Bart Yasso xi

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 First Love 1

Chapter 2 Someone Else's Life 11

Chapter 3 The Youth Center 19

Chapter 4 Brain Surgery 32

Chapter 5 Fate. Destiny. Social Media 42

Chapter 6 Costa Rica 49

Chapter 7 The Big Move 58

Chapter 8 Flatlining 72

Chapter 9 Level I Trauma 83

Chapter 10 Rehab at Gaylord Hospital 103

Chapter 11 Breaking Down 120

Chapter 12 You've Got to Be Kidding Me 138

Chapter 13 We All Bleed Red 151

Chapter 14 Stillness and Motion 172

Chapter 15 Light Peeks In 185

Chapter 16 Racing On 202

Chapter 17 Rainbow Bridge 221

Chapter 18 Three Trials 237

Chapter 19 Endings and Beginnings 253

Acknowledgments 261

How to Be a Hero 265

About the Authors 271

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