By KELLY KULTYS
NEWS EDITOR
It was a typical clear, early spring day. The sun was out, and students were quickly moving between classes here at Fordham, but for Maria Buck, FCRH ’15, the day was anything but ordinary.
Late in the afternoon, Buck sat nervously, clutching her phone, waiting to hear from her best friend from high school, Vada. This was not a usual thing to do on a Monday afternoon. Buck did not sit around, waiting to hear from her friend every day. In fact, before Sunday, April 14, Buck had not heard from her in few days.
“I talked to her the night before [April 14] and I was like ‘good luck’, ‘have fun,’ ‘don’t die,’ which I guess right now it’s a good thing I did,” Buck said. “I mean she was running 26 miles [in the Boston Marathon].”
The day of the Marathon, Patriot’s Day, which started in a celebratory mood as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2, ended with tragedy as there were two explosions near the finish line. Three people have died, and over 170 were injured from the bombs which The New York Times described as “pressure-cooker devices.”
So on April 15, any word from Vada would have made Buck’s day.
“Around 3:30 p.m., I was working and my other friend [McKenzie] called me, but I ignored her phone call,” Buck said. “She texted me saying, ‘No, you need to call me now.’”
Buck’s heart sank as McKenzie told her about the two bombs that exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Buck knew Vada was out there, somewhere on the marathon’s path, but neither she nor McKenzie could reach her.
“McKenzie called me back about 45 minutes later to tell me that she learned Vada didn’t have her phone on her,” Buck said.
After another torturous half-hour, Vada’s mother was able to contact Buck to let her know that she had been in contact with her daughter.
“She said that Vada had been on mile 25.6, that’s where she was when the bombs went off,” Buck said. “About three minutes from the finish line.”
Buck said her heart stopped when she learned how close her best friend was to the tragedy.
“She was stuck in the city after the race, so I didn’t hear from her until about 7:30 [that night],” Buck said. “When I heard from her, I felt better, because I didn’t know if something was going to happen in the city after, and I knew she was stuck there and couldn’t get out. I was just nervous.”
Buck was just one of thousands of people who desperately tried to connect with loved ones on Monday afternoon.
Erica DePalma, FCRH ’15, said she also spent the second half of her day attached to her cell phone, trying to reach friends who decided to spend the day watching the marathon.
“I have friends at Northeastern, BU [Boston University] and BC [Boston College],” Erica said. “I knew that my friends at BC were going to the marathon because one of my friends from Springfield College was visiting for the sole purpose of attending the marathon.”
As it turns out, her friends left the marathon before the bombs exploded. They were in the midst of walking back to BC’s campus and fleed from the scene when people came racing by.
“Her text said ‘it’s chaos and just really scary here,’” Erica said.
It was scary for many, especially families of the victims, two of which have been identified as eight-year-old Martin Richard and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell.
Survivors, many still fighting for their lives in hospitals in the Boston area, have sustained various injuries ranging from concussions from the bombs’ pressure to live-saving amputations of shrapnel-peppered limbs.
All this on a day in which runners, like Vada, simply wanted to race after months of hard work and training. Instead, many of the brave racers, as reported by NBC Sports Network on Twitter Monday, April 15, “crossed [the] finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims.”
The explosions shocked not just the city, but the entire nation.
The aftermath was felt up and down the East Coast as many cities, including New York and Washington D.C., immediately increased their security presence. Others have taken it upon themselves to help comfort and support those affected by the tragedy.
Many within the Fordham community have stepped up to help console students and faculty who lost a loved one and directly aid individuals who personally experienced the attack. Campus Ministry held a mass on Monday evening to offer prayers for those harmed by this tragedy. About 75 students were in attendance at the ceremony.
“The Fordham University community stands with Boston today. The victims and families are in our thoughts and prayers,” Fordham’s official Facebook page said.
The page also stated the University’s message of support.
Many Residential staffs on campus also emailed out their message of consolation and aid to their residents.
“It is these trying times that we can find comfort in community with each others,” an email from Robert Alicea, resident director of Finlay Hall, said. “I hope that you all have a good night and keep those who have been impacted by this tragic event in your hearts.”
Some can breathe a little easier now, knowing the location of their loved ones. For those who saw the tragedy first-hand, however, this will likely be a lasting memory.
“ [Vada’s] still in shock, not only was she exhausted from running a marathon,” Maria said. “She was also just petrified.”
