The video
camera followed Sr. Lynn Winsor, Xavier Prep’s Vice Principal for Activities
and Athletic Director, as she wheeled her Zappy transporter down the sidewalk
in front of Founders Hall. She hopped off, stepped into the hall and . . .
Nothing. All was quiet.
“Where is
everybody?’’ she asked, voice echoing off the walls. “Isn’t this the day that
we are supposed to have the X Breakfast?’’
True,
indeed. Then she “remembered’’ that the annual fund-raising event on Thursday (Sept. 17) was being
held virtually due to health and safety concerns brought about by the Covid
virus. This year, the 13th X Breakfast was being watched on a live
stream video by people on campus, in the Valley, state and country, and even
across the world.
What
everyone witnessed was a story of fear, heartbreak, strength, recovery,
encouragement and spirituality by XCP
2000 alumna Elena Flores-Breese.
 |
Elena Flores-Breese, Class of 2000.
|
On April 15,
2013, she was near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, waiting for
her husband, Jeff Breese, to cross.
Suddenly,
there was a horrific explosion of two pressure-cooker bombs, built and placed
by two Chechen-American brothers. Three people lost their lives in this
despicable act of terror and several hundred others were injured. Thankfully,
Jeff was not injured, as he was a few miles behind the leaders.
There were countless
others who were traumatized by what happened. Many, like Flores-Breese,
suffered Post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It was a
day when my bubble burst forever,’’ she said. “The images were time-stamped on
my heart and in my mind.’’
Still, such
an occurrence does not necessarily manifest itself in a serious manner right
away. The aftermath treats everyone differently.
For
Flores-Breese, a mother of two, it didn’t fully take over until 2016.
“I couldn’t
understand. I had been canceling events, had anxiety,’’ she said. “But it was
three years and four months of mental anguish.’’
She checked
herself into a psychiatric hospital, where she stayed for six days.
Once she
realized what was happening, she began the road to recovery.
“I think
that this trauma shaped me after that and it does now in these changing
times,’’ she said.
One of the
primary tools that helped her was to make time for prayer and meditation.
She
interacted with others from around the world at an annual International
Congress for Victims of Terror in Nice, France, in 2019. There were 400
survivors from 80 countries.
Flores-Breese,
who lives with her family in the Phoenix area, also has been writing a blog
about her experiences for the last three years called Stillbloomingme.
One of those
experiences came in 2018, when her husband was finally able to finish what he
started when the family traveled to Boston for the race.
And she said
she could not have made it without the lessons learned at Xavier, not
necessarily just in the classroom. There was the sense of friendship, family
and spirituality.
She reads
her Bible regularly, writes a journal and even sings songs she learned at
Xavier to herself.
Near the end
of the video, viewers got to see other alumni talk about their Xavier
experience, and see current students trying to find their way.
A song
played softly in the background. It sounded quite familiar to The XCP Files sports blogger. Where had it
been heard before?
Finally, the
answer came. It was sung by varsity volleyball players as they warmed up before
a match.
It was line
from the chorus of the song Thy Word,
written by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, based on Psalm 119, Verse 105.
It is worth
remembering, a joyful noise for all of us.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path.
Thank you,
Elena.