logo
Weather page
GET THE APP
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • Login
  • E-Edition
  • News
  • Sports
  • Obits
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • All Listings
    • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contests
  • Lifestyle/Entertainment
  • Games
    • News
      • Local News
      • PA State News
      • Nation/World
    • Sports
      • Local
      • College Sports
      • State
      • National
    • Obits
    • Opinion
      • News
        • Local News
        • PA State News
        • Nation/World
      • Sports
        • Local
        • College Sports
        • State
        • National
      • Obits
      • Opinion
    logo
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • All Listings
      • Jobs
    • E-Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Login
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • All Listings
        • Jobs
      • E-Edition
      • Subscribe
      • Login
    Home News Few marathon bomb survivors seek help for 'invisible' wounds
    Few marathon bomb survivors seek help for ‘invisible’ wounds
    Nation, News
    PHILIP MARCELO, Associated Press  
    April 12, 2015

    Few marathon bomb survivors seek help for ‘invisible’ wounds

    BOSTON (AP) — Two years after the Boston Marathon bombings, few survivors appear to be taking advantage of free wellness programs meant to help with anxiety, stress, insomnia and other “invisible injuries” that can be just as devastating as losing a limb.

    Just 42 survivors have pursued treatment for such problems through the One Fund Center, which was launched in September to aid the 240 victims and family members who received payouts from the main charity established in the wake of the blasts. 

    The Massachusetts Resiliency Center — which opened in October to help with behavioral and mental health problems suffered by the scores of people who may have been traumatized by the April 15, 2013, bombings or the ensuing manhunt — has served only a few hundred.

    Although the centers have funding for at least two years, organizers fear it may be years before many survivors understand the emotional toll and decide to seek help.

    Dr. Rebecca Brendel, a psychiatrist who is medical director for the One Fund Center, said she’s not surprised at the muted response so far.

    “We always expected that demand for traditional psychiatric and mental health care would not be high,” she said. “This is a population that is incredibly resilient. This is not a fundamentally traumatized population. We certainly don’t want to identify this community as sick or mentally ill.”

    Eric and Ann Whalley of Boston, who suffered severe physical injuries in the attacks, say they’ve so far chosen not to take advantage of counseling services.

    “We’ve handled things our own way,” he said. “We’ve been impacted, but not with the sort of PTSD, severe anxiety and panic attacks that others have. We’ve done pretty well on that side of things.”

    Dr. Kermit Crawford, a psychologist who heads the Resiliency Center, suggests demand for services — which include group therapy sessions on relaxation and stress management techniques — may grow over time.

    “You have to remember: These are normal people dealing with an abnormal circumstance,” Crawford said.

    Barbara Thorp, the One Fund Center’s program director, also expects enrollment to pick up soon. She said a number of survivors are waiting for the bombing’s second anniversary, this year’s marathon and bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s federal death penalty trial to run their course.

    “Folks just want to get through the next few months,” Thorp said. “We will move at their pace and their level of readiness . Their unique path of recovery may not be linear nor move at a predetermined pace.”

    Both the One Fund Center and Resiliency Center have been stepping up their outreach as the anniversaries approach. 

    They’ve also been sending staff to the Boston courthouse where Tsarnaev is being tried in order to offer counseling to victims’ families, survivors and those asked to testify.

    The Resiliency Center runs on a roughly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The One Fund Center, which also offers treatment for eyesight and hearing problems, was created with about $1.5 million left after the main fundraising charity for bombing victims, One Fund Boston, began winding down operations late last year.

    To be sure, many survivors and victims’ families are finding other ways to cope beyond formal wellness programs. Some are creating foundations and nonprofits to benefit others in similar situations, while others are training to run this year’s marathon.

    Dr. Daniel Polley of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, which is helping survivors deal with hearing troubles, suggests a sort of “doctor’s fatigue” may also be a factor for those who have already undergone months of operations and physical therapy.

    “Some of them just want to put this behind them, even if it’s bothering them,” he said. “They’ve had enough of doctors and hospitals.”

    Indeed, each of the Whalleys has undergone roughly 20 operations. Eric Whalley, who lost sight in one eye, had an eardrum transplant and suffered serious leg damage, has opted to try an experimental treatment offered by the One Fund Center.

    The weekslong treatment involves music and audio-visual games that he can do from home to help cope with a persistent ringing in his ears.

    “It’d be nice to say we’ve made a full recovery. I don’t think we have,” Whalley said. “But we’re at a place where we’re comfortable. We just want to move on and get out there.”

    Tags:

    nation news

    The Bradford Era

    Local & Social
    Latest news for you
    Day 1 of AMCC Softball Championships:  Wins for Pitt-Greensburg, PS-Behrend & PS-Altoona
    College Sports, Pitt Bradford, Softball, ...
    Day 1 of AMCC Softball Championships: Wins for Pitt-Greensburg, PS-Behrend & PS-Altoona
    Jo Wankel j.wankel@bradfordera.com 
    May 10, 2025
    The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford hosted Day 1 of the AMCC Softball Championships Friday. Penn State-Behrend, Pitt-Greensburg and Penn State-Al...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Fiancee treats man more like a child than as a partner
    Lifestyles
    Fiancee treats man more like a child than as a partner
    May 10, 2025
    DEAR ABBY: I’m engaged to a delightful woman from a foreign country. She’s a divorcee, and her 19-year-old son is doing well in college. She essential...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    ‘Round the Square: ‘You won’t have a calculator in your pocket’
    News, Round the Square
    ‘Round the Square: ‘You won’t have a calculator in your pocket’
    May 10, 2025
    NO MORE: Remember standing near the landline phone, twirling the code around your fingers as you chatted with a bestie or a sweetie? Or, in Bradford, ...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Q&A with the DA: E-bikes (aka electronic bikes or pedalcycles with electronic assist)
    Headlines, Local News, News, ...
    Q&A with the DA: E-bikes (aka electronic bikes or pedalcycles with electronic assist)
    STEPHANIE VETTENBURG-SHAFFER McKean County District Attorney 
    May 10, 2025
    (Editor’s note: The information in this special series is for educational purposes only and is not intended to address any particular case, nor should...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Fixing the supports of a trampoline
    Lifestyles
    Fixing the supports of a trampoline
    May 10, 2025
    Dear Heloise: I've had a trampoline in my backyard for many years and realized the very thin pipe insulation around the supports that hold the net up ...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Are Your College Savings on Track?
    Education
    Are Your College Savings on Track?
    May 10, 2025
    (StatePoint) If you’re like many Americans, college savings may be taking a back seat to other financial priorities right now. Financial advisors want...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    This Week's Ads
    Current e-Edition
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Already a subscriber? Click the image to view the latest e-edition.
    Don't have a subscription? Click here to see our subscription options.
    Mobile App

    Download Now

    The Bradford Era mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the Bradford Era on your mobile device just as it appears in print.

    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Trending Recipes

    Help Our Community

    Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!

    Get in touch with The Bradford Era
    Submit Content
    • Submit News
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Place Wedding Announcement
      • Submit News
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Place Wedding Announcement
    Advertise
    • Place Birth Announcement
    • Place Anniversary Announcement
    • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
      • Place Birth Announcement
      • Place Anniversary Announcement
      • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
    Subscribe
    • Start a Subscription
    • e-Edition
    • Contact Us
      • Start a Subscription
      • e-Edition
      • Contact Us
    CMG | Community Media Group
    Illinois
    • Hancock Journal-Pilot
    • Iroquois Times-Republic
    • Journal-Republican
    • The News-Gazette
      • Hancock Journal-Pilot
      • Iroquois Times-Republic
      • Journal-Republican
      • The News-Gazette
    Indiana
    • Fountain Co. Neighbor
    • Herald Journal
    • KV Post News
    • Newton Co. Enterprise
    • Rensselaer Republican
    • Review-Republican
      • Fountain Co. Neighbor
      • Herald Journal
      • KV Post News
      • Newton Co. Enterprise
      • Rensselaer Republican
      • Review-Republican
    Iowa
    • Atlantic News Telegraph
    • Audubon Advocate-Journal
    • Barr’s Post Card News
    • Burlington Hawk Eye
    • Collector’s Journal
    • Fayette County Union
    • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
    • Independence Bulletin-Journal
    • Keokuk Daily Gate City
    • Oelwein Daily Register
    • Vinton Newspapers
    • Waverly Newspapers
      • Atlantic News Telegraph
      • Audubon Advocate-Journal
      • Barr’s Post Card News
      • Burlington Hawk Eye
      • Collector’s Journal
      • Fayette County Union
      • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
      • Independence Bulletin-Journal
      • Keokuk Daily Gate City
      • Oelwein Daily Register
      • Vinton Newspapers
      • Waverly Newspapers
    Michigan
    • Iosco County News-Herald
    • Ludington Daily News
    • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
    • Oscoda Press
    • White Lake Beacon
      • Iosco County News-Herald
      • Ludington Daily News
      • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
      • Oscoda Press
      • White Lake Beacon
    New York
    • Finger Lakes Times
    • Olean Times Herald
    • Salamanca Press
      • Finger Lakes Times
      • Olean Times Herald
      • Salamanca Press
    Pennsylvania
    • Bradford Era
    • Clearfield Progress
    • Courier Express
    • Free Press Courier
    • Jeffersonian Democrat
    • Leader Vindicator
    • Potter Leader-Enterprise
    • The Wellsboro Gazette
      • Bradford Era
      • Clearfield Progress
      • Courier Express
      • Free Press Courier
      • Jeffersonian Democrat
      • Leader Vindicator
      • Potter Leader-Enterprise
      • The Wellsboro Gazette
    © Copyright The Bradford Era 43 Main St, Bradford, PA  | Terms of Use  | Privacy Policy
    Powered by TECNAVIA