Amputee sings of her survival, success
July 3, 2007 by Mike Latona
NEW YORK CITY -- It was nine months to the day after Sept. 11, 2001. Elmira
native Theresa Sareo was well into recording her third album, which reflected
upon the World Trade Center tragedy, and was walking close to where the disaster
had occurred. "As a New Yorker I was still reeling from 9-11,
writing songs about going through that experience. We were all so afraid,
trapped in fear for so many months after," she said, noting that she had begun
composing the song "I Am the Light" because "that was the first time I had felt
some hope."
In the blink of an eye, Sareo's hopeful feeling was erased -- and her life was
almost snuffed out as well. She was hit by an impaired driver in midtown
Manhattan, and her entire right leg was severed.
Five years later, Sareo has produced many positives out of that devastating
event. She has returned to her career as a well-known singer/songwriter in New
York City, and also is making a public impact on a national level as an advocate
for fellow amputees. "As an entertainer I always sought the spotlight. But never
in my wildest dreams did I think it would have happened through something like
this," she remarked.
Sareo grew up in St. Mary's Southside Parish and attended Southside High School.
She's a classically trained vocalist and has lived in New York City for the past
20 years. "I moved to New York right after high school, totally with stars
in my eyes. New York will do that to you when you're from a small town," the
Manhattan resident said. "It took a few years before I started making money
again at music."
Sareo has since become well-known on New York's singer/songwriter circuit,
appearing in many top nightclubs with her jazz trio. She also is a private vocal
teacher. As an independent recording artist she has released three albums: her
self-titled debut album; a second, "Embrace"; and "Alive Again," which shares
stories about people who have touched her life and reflects on losses from 9-11
as well as her accident.
On June 11, 2002, while at the corner of 34th Street and Park Avenue, Sareo was
struck by an SUV after the impaired driver attempted an illegal U-turn. She was
pinned to a fire-hydrant pole, and her right leg was severed at the top of her
hip. "I don't remember anything about that accident, anything about that day. I
woke up at Bellevue Hospital, struggling out of a coma a few days after, and was
told what happened to me," she said. She credits her many family and
friends in Elmira and Rochester for aiding in her recovery. "The upstate
Catholic community prayed long and hard for me during the crucial first week and
beyond," she noted. "I do believe that their positive energy of love was a large
contributing factor toward my survival during that period when I wasn't
consciously involved with it."
A long rehabilitation process awaited Sareo; she initially spent two months in
the hospital. "There came a point where I became emotionally like, what
was I going to do with this--what will life on one leg would be like? It
felt pretty bleak and I was terrified," she acknowledged. "But my friends became very resourceful;
they dug up other amputees and sent them to the hospital to come visit me.
Interestingly, three were in the entertainment business. That changed everything
for me. They became my life raft, human beacons of hope -- not only to go on in
life and be successful, but to keep doing what I love."
Sareo received a prosthetic leg one year after she was discharged. "Unless I'm
walking around in a short skirt, people just think I walk with a limp and a
cane," she said. She set out to reclaim her career and completed her
"Alive Again" album. She also created the Amputee Support Program at Bellevue
Hospital, where she now serves as peer counselor for amputees and their
families. "I know first-hand what it's like to be saved, so I became motivated
to do the same thing; to do that for other people in their darkest hours," she said.
Sareo recently made her second visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, where she has visited injured military men and women returning from
the Middle East. "These kids have multiple injuries, multiple amputations. As
one soldier said when I asked, "How are you doing, sir?" he said, 'Well, I'm
beat up, broken and blown up.' That was just a real honest description," she
remarked.
Sareo also is a public speaker on disabilities and trauma recovery. She appeared
on “Larry King Live” in June 2005 where she was interviewed by Nancy Grace, and
has twice met Sen. Hillary Clinton. "It kind of all has jelled together -- my
music, my outreach, my survival messages. It works in this real humanitarian
way," she said.
Sareo must still contend with a series of ups and downs: "Life is difficult. I'm
never going to make excuses for it. It's hard to live a disabled life and live
every day without a limb; a substantial part of your body gone forever. It's an
interesting journey, as to how you choose to respond to it as time goes on."
She encourages people in similar situations to allow the natural grieving
process to occur, because "on the other end of that you will find joy in your
life." Her own joy, she said, comes from being at the bedside of people who have
survived traumatic injuries. "I know that's where I'm supposed to be in that
moment; it becomes really clear to me on a deep level," Sareo said. "I feel like
my spirituality really opened up -- the humanitarian work that I'm doing, it
comes from that place that connects all of us.
"For me, the only way to cope with such a big loss is to live a big life. I
asked the universe, the gods, the goddesses to let me live big. I believe
somebody's answering," she added. "No matter what obstacles get
thrown in your path, you can still dream big, connect to your sense of purpose in
life; what moves you, what fills you up and what brings you joy. Don't be afraid
to do that--it will bring you to special places you never thought you could go."
EDITORS’ NOTE: For more information about Theresa Sareo, visit
www.theresasareo.com.