Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back From the Dead

by Brian Boyle

  I finally leave the Queen K and make a left turn onto the road to the Energy Lab. The descent is gentle on my legs. They feel as if they are moving on their own. At the turnaround aid station, music is blasting and volunteers wish me good luck.

  The long, gradual climb out of the Energy Lab requires more than luck. I slow to a walk. All of a sudden, I start crying because I realize that I will finish the race.

  When I get back to the Queen K, I begin to jog again when a silver Mustang convertible drives up alongside me. It’s Bill Rudell and the Cannondale crew who are excited to see that I’ve made it this far. I have been out on the course for thirteen hours. Only six more miles to the end—little more than ninety minutes if I don’t stop.

  Another mile later, the three LifeSport coaches pull up alongside me in a car—Lance, Paul, and Alister who have played an important role in my training for the past six weeks and taught me how to do an Ironman virtually overnight. They let me know I’m way ahead of the estimated time they were expecting me to finish—which was close to midnight.

  When they leave, Ken and the NBC gang return. It’s easy to ignore the all-encompassing exhaustion when a camera is on you.

  With just three miles to go, my body will only permit me to walk two hundred yards followed by a painfully slow jog for two hundred yards—walk, slow jog, repeat. My swollen feet feel like cinder blocks and my puffy, swollen legs are barely bending enough to get one foot in front of the other.

  I’m so bewildered and depleted by fatigue that I temporarily lose sense of where I am. I have to remind myself that I’m in Hawaii, attempting to finish the Ironman.

  With two miles remaining, the NBC camera crew heads back to the finish to await my arrival. I find myself alone in the dark. I savor these last miles, knowing they represent the culmination of a long journey that’s taken me from dying to living. When my heart rate was soaring, doctors feared the worse. But now, as my heart is beating strong and fast, I know that I’m living—living my dream.

  I make the turn onto Alii Drive. Thousands of spectators line both sides of the street. The finish line is only several hundred yards away. I pick up the pace to an awkward walk and trot. Sheer adrenaline carries me forward.

  I see the finish line area, which is lit up like daylight. Fifty yards, twenty-five yards, five yards, then I’m home! I walk across the finish line. My time is fourteen hours and forty-two minutes. An NBC cameraman hovers nearby. My parents rush to greet me. The mood is beyond emotional. Tears. Hugs. Smiles. I feel completely reborn, as if I have been given the gift of a normal life and all the limitations I once had have vanished. Just over three years ago, doctors didn’t think I would ever walk again. I had been the boy in the car crash, the dying boy, the boy whose heart stopped numerous times, the coma boy, the boy who couldn’t speak or move, the skeleton boy in a wheelchair. But all that is now part of the past on this triumphant night in Kona.

  The announcer shouts to the crowd of thousands, “Brian Boyle, at twenty-one years old, is an Ironman!” Yes I am.

  EPILOGUE

  When I returned home from Hawaii, a media whirlwind was waiting. I did interviews with local and international newspapers, radio stations, television news programs, and various magazines. But the really big day occurred six weeks later on December 1, 2007, when the ninetyminute Ironman telecast aired on NBC. I watched the show at home with my parents and our bulldog Daisy. It felt great to relive that long day in Kona. Three of the four “inspirational triathletes” finished—Charles Plaskon came in seven minutes after I did, while Scott Rigsby just made the cutoff in 16:42. Sadly, Scott Johnson did not finish. Underlining the greatness of the best professionals were the swift times of the winners: Australian Chris McCormack in 8:15 and Englishwoman Chrissie Wellington in 9:08.

  I was flattered to see my personal story highlighted on the NBC show. I thought my fifteen minutes of fame were over, but in the days that followed I was surprised to receive emails from people all over the world. These emails weren’t just from fellow auto accident victims, but people who had bouts with cancer, illness, or who had suffered war injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. All had experienced life-altering circumstances. All were survivors.

  On January 1, 2008, I resumed my triathlon training because I wanted to see if one day I could qualify for the Ironman. With more than six weeks to train this time, I’m giving myself several years to get in the kind of shape I saw in the top triathletes in Kona.

  My first step was to sign up for online coaching by six-time Hawaii Ironman champion Mark Allen, who retired from competition in 1996. His personalized training program involves working out anywhere from twenty to thirty hours a week.

  Cannondale’s Bill Rudell was good with his promise. He sent me the Slice bike as my gift for finishing Kona as well as for being the recipient of the 2007 Cannondale Ironman Determination Award. With the sleek bike, I gradually improved my speed and road-handling skills.

  In addition to all the training, I enrolled full-time at St. Mary’s. I also continued to get calls from national media reporters. My comeback story appeared on ESPN.com, Comcast Sports, NBC News, Fox News, and in the Washington Post. The Catholic monthly Inside the Vatican named me as one of its Top Ten People of the Year.

  With all this media exposure, I decided to serve as a testimonial speaker with the American Red Cross. Without the thirty-six blood transfusions and thirteen plasma treatments that came from the Red Cross, I never would have made it out of Intensive Care alive. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Donors are the only source, so I want to help as much as I can in this vital, life-giving effort.

  The next half-Ironman triathlon I did was the Eagleman 70.3 Triathlon in Cambridge, Maryland, on June 8, 2008. I cut two hours off my time from my first race, the Steelhead. Surprisingly, the bike was my strongest of the three disciplines; I was third in my age group.

  The next month, I was named PowerBar’s Athlete of the Month. I also received the 2008 Fitness Inspiration Award from the IdeaFit World Health and Fitness Association, the ceremony for which took place at the Barry Manilow Theatre in Las Vegas—the same stage where Elvis Presley performed many times. Dan O’Brien, the 1996 U.S. Olympic Decathlon gold medalist, presented me with the award in front of an audience of three thousand.

  After returning from Las Vegas, I flew to Canada to compete in the half-Ironman in Newfoundland, where my late grandmother, Helen Lineberger, was raised. I dedicated the race to her memory. The Canadian television news crews, newspapers, and radio stations covered me throughout the entire week. I was able to lower my half-Ironman time another ten minutes.

  I was also honored to be included in Men’s Health magazine’s twentieth-year-anniversary edition, which highlighted some of the biggest health and fitness stories over the past two decades. I was awestruck to be included in the same company as Tiger Woods and my personal athletic inspiration, Lance Armstrong.

  Right before Christmas, I flew to Clearwater, Florida, to compete in the 2008 Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championship, where I was able to take another twenty minutes off my overall time. It took me only 5:09:14 to finish the race. My grandfather, parents, Aunt Kati, Uncle Tom, and cousins Matt and Hayley, who were always there for me when I was in the hospital and in rehab, came and watched me do the race.

  After Florida, I received a call from the Ellen DeGeneres Show asking if I would like to be a guest. They wanted to spotlight an Ironman triathlete with an inspirational story. I told the producer I used to watch Ellen’s show when I was waking up from my coma and that she was able to make me smile when I was paralyzed.

  My parents and I were flown to Los Angeles, California. On the day of the show’s taping in the Warner Bros. Studio, I was brought into my own dressing room, which had my name printed outside the door. There was a huge gift basket that included a bathrobe. The two other guests on the show were pop singer Jessica Simpson and actor Chace Crawford, a young star on the popular cable television show Gossip Girl.
I was the last guest to appear. The lights, camera, and backstage action were overwhelming. Ellen’s staff was wonderful. It was incredible to meet Ellen and get the opportunity to tell her how much her show meant to me when I was in Intensive Care.

  I haven’t slowed down, either. I ran in the March 2009 SunTrust National Marathon in Washington, D.C., and my time was 4:15:12.

  While I’m honored by all the media attention and national recognition, it is my intention and desire to make a positive impact on others who have gone through or who are currently going through a tragic, life-altering experience. I was fortunate to be given the gift of life thanks to the support of my parents, hospital, family, and friends. I hope to help other survivors find the faith, confidence, and determination that recovery is within their reach, too.

  I still have a lot of ground to cover in life. I will never recapture all that lost time spent in the hospital, or the arduous months of rehab. But that period in my life, I now realize, only marked the beginning of a long unfinished journey. I plan to enjoy every moment.

  Life is to be lived. There are no bad days. Every day is a good day.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book is not just a story of what I overcame, but a story of how life can sometimes bring momentous obstacles that need to be conquered, no matter how bleak the situation. Therefore, I must pay tribute to all the following.

  The firemen, rescue squads, and helicopter crews who risk their lives everyday to save lives. Much of the time, every second is crucial. These brave men and women are the unsung heroes, and I thank them for getting me out of the car and keeping me alive, both at the scene and in the air:

  Accokeek Volunteer Fire Department

  La Plata Volunteer Fire Department

  Potomac Heights Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad

  Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad

  Charles County Volunteer Rescue Squad

  Ironsides Volunteer Rescue Squad

  U.S. Park Police Helicopter—Eagle 1

  Grateful doesn’t even begin to express my deepest appreciation for Prince George’s Hospital Center. This facility had the tools to put me back together, and support and encouragement came from the entire hospital—from every area and unit, from the hospital president and the medical departments, to the cafeteria staff, the security, and the parking lot attendants. It became a support system for me and my family. Huge thanks to my physicians, Dr. Said Daee, Dr. James Catevenis, Dr. Mohammad Nafisy, Dr. William Boyce, Dr. Saeed Koolaee, and others for never giving up on me. I’m in awe of what you did for me, and feel that you went above and beyond to save my life. I will be forever grateful as well to my nurses, who cared for me as if I were their son, brother, or even grandson; to Donna Lanier and the radiology department for the endless CAT scans, MRIs and X-rays; to the surgical units that performed the many operations to keep me alive. The expertise, dedication, and teamwork throughout the hospital shone through all my treatment, and I am living proof of their excellence.

  I am grateful to Coach Glenn Covey, my high school track coach, for being by my side through the good times and bad. You were even with me in the ICU to cheer me on, but this time you weren’t coaching me in a sport but pushing me to fight for my life. I thank you once again.

  Appreciation goes to all the blood donors everywhere. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be here. I will forever remember your selfless acts of kindness. The American Red Cross blood donor program provides survival to those when least expected.

  Kernan Rehabilitation Hospital, thank you for jump-starting my therapy.

  My outpatient center, Child and Adult Rehabilitation, provided the intense therapy I needed, and I thank them for working so hard with me and getting my body out of that wheelchair.

  To my family, friends, and the supportive people all over the world, thank you for your prayers, letters, cards, and emails with words of encouragement.

  I would especially like to thank my cousins, Matt and Hayley, for always standing vigil, literally to my left and right, allowing me to lean on your shoulders during a time when I desperately needed the support or to have a good laugh. You always knew how to put a smile on my face. To my good friends Rachel Gearhart and Jessica Grow for being there throughout my recovery and healing: you both will always have a special place in my heart, more than you’ll ever know. To Sam Fleming, thanks for helping me get my swimming back on track, as a coach and as a friend. And, to my grandfather, thank you for always being there for me, in everything that I’ve done and continue to do in life.

  St. Mary’s College of Maryland, thank you for your support and encouragement. Thanks especially to my professors: Colby Caldwell, Sue Johnson, Carrie Patterson, Joe Lucchesi, Patrick Kelley, Cristin Cash, Lisa Scheer, David Ellsworth, Ben Click, and Cynthia Koenig. Thanks to Coach Andre Barbins, Assistant Coach Julio Zarate, and my college swim team for making me feel part of the team no matter the outcome.

  Thank you, Jay Cutler, for helping me get my muscles back, and Gary Hall, Jr., for your inspiring words, which helped me get back in the pool.

  Mahalo to the Hawaii Ironman, World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), NBC, and Peter Henning for allowing me the opportunity to live my life without fear again. My deepest appreciation also extends to these fine people from the WTC: Ben Fertic, Andy Giancola, Blair LaHaye, Bill Potts, Jessica Weidensall, Kevin Mackinnon, Gaylia Lynn Osterlund, and Jennette Harshman. Crossing the finish line in Kona confirmed that my insides were really okay. It was the final healing phase for my body and my spirit. I will always be grateful.

  All the sponsors who helped me and continue to support me on my Ironman journey also deserve appreciation and thanks: 4EverFit Nutritional Supplements (which also helped me gain weight back during my rehab), Timex Watches, PowerBar Sports Nutrition, Cannondale Bikes, K-Swiss, Profile Design, Foster Grant Sunglasses, Kinesys Sunscreen, Nathan Active Hydration, Newton Running Shoes, and TYR. Gratitude also extends to PCH Sports and Murphy Reinschreiber, Wendy Ingraham, and Shannon Delaney.

  Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing and Tony Lyons for believing in this project. I began writing about my journey as another form of therapy in late 2004 after I was released from the hospital. After several years of writing, my literary agent Bill Katovsky, who has been a mentor and editor, helped me realize my dream of getting this book published. Without him, Iron Heart (he also came up with the title) would never have happened. He pushed, motivated, and steered me in the right direction through every chapter and almost every sentence of this book. I’m forever grateful for his generosity. Bill taught me how to write from the heart, and that’s ultimately the book’s foundation.

  And, finally, to Mom and Dad: You were there every single day that I was in the hospital. There were only three visiting hours a day, but you got there in the morning and left in the late evening. You were there by my side through the good, the bad, and the horrible. Every time you came in to see me in the hospital, you did not know if I was going to be dead or alive, but you always kept the hope. That hope is what ultimately brought me back from the dead and into life again. Your love saved me, and for that reason, you are my world. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I was too tired and sick to believe in myself. I love you, Mom and Dad. We did it!

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Brian Boyle’s Iron Heart blog and contact information can be found at http://brianboyle.wordpress.com.

  Bill Katovsky is the editor, author, and coauthor of several books, including Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize. A two-time Hawaii Ironman finisher and founder of Tri-Athlete magazine, Bill can be reached at bkatovsky@aol.com.

 

 

 
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