THE PARTICIPANTS
SANDRA LEE
Iraq Veteran, PTSD Sufferer, Survivor, MST
Sandra Lee, a Veteran US Army Staff Sergeant, was raped by a fellow soldier. Already isolated and traumatized by the brutal violation of the Army code of honor, (Loyalty. Duty. Respect. Selfless service. Honor. Integrity. Personal courage.) - her Humvee hit an IED while on patrol, compounding her trauma. After years in denial, following her return home, she sought help at Menlo Park PTSD Treatment Center, where her traumas resurfaced and uncoiled, allowing her road to recovery to begin. Sandra connected on a stronger level with her emotions through local theatre work and summoned the courage to speak out publicly to give a voice to her experience, and for the silenced voices of others. In the midst of her healing, she met the love of her life, Mac, who has been an instrumental force in helping Sandra find hope. They married in the fall of 2018.
BECKY LAZINGER
9/11 Survivor, New York City
At 23, Becky Lazinger was celebrating her first year anniversary of work at Morgan Stanley in Tower 2.
The second plane hit while she arrived in the lobby. While the building shook and was crashing down around her, Becky had no idea what happened. Thinking a bomb had gone off outside, she thought the safest place to be at that moment was her office on the 74th floor. With everyone racing outside, confusion and fear took over. She ran. And then she walked until 5 pm to get to her apartment. The following 17 years were a deep dark struggle, including marriage to an abusive man. Finding the strength to get help, Becky discovered healing with the World Trade Center Survivors Group, immersing herself in sketching and painting again, and leaving her abusive marriage. She found the courage to share her story with others, hoping to inspire others who identify with her struggle.
JACK DELANEY
First Responder / 9/11 Survivor, Bethpage, Long Island, New York
Jack Delaney (retired) was Director of Emergency Medical Services and Chairman of Emergency Management at New York Presbyterian Hospital. After the NYC Fire Department requested that Jack and his team respond to the WTC disaster, his team arrived right after the second plane struck. He suffered two team member losses and serious injuries. The following eight months on site resulted in debilitating long term health issues. More 9/11 first responders have died from health-related illnesses than those that perished on that day. Jack continues his leadership by not giving up and being a source of strength and support.
KEN FAIRBEN
Laurel Park, Long Island, NY Former Chief of Floral Park Fire Department
Ken Fairben is the father of Keith Fairben, he and his wife's only child and an EMT who perished in the collapse of Tower 2 on 9/11. Ken was a life-long volunteer firefighter in his hometown, along with Keith. They were on the phone together when the towers came down and Keith told his father he “had to go and help people”. Those were the last words spoken. Keith’s mother, Diane, was a school teacher in Queens who witnessed the collapse from her classroom. Ken, now in his 70’s, is still a member of the firehouse and drives the ladder truck, keeping Keith’s memory alive through his mission in helping others. Keith’s firefighter turnout gear is beautifully displayed inside a glass locker, next to the other department members’ gear to honor him. Ken bravely wants others to know there is life after loss,
in spite of the pain and grief, which is hard to navigate at times.
JOHN DELANEY
Police Medic, Nassau County Police Department, Massapequa, NY
John Delaney is the oldest child of Jack Delaney and was 19 years old on 9/11. He, as with his two siblings, have since, chosen a career as first responders. They have a high level of respect and deep understanding of what 9/11 was like for their father and the toll it has taken on him. To escape the stress of his work, John spends a lot of time on his boat near his home. John is careful to monitor his stress levels and overall health. He hopes that sharing his story will remind people of the sacrifices first responders made each day. He wants to encourage all first responders to do self-checks as well as checking in on their fellow responders and to recognize that getting help is crucial.
MOLLY MAURER
Mass Shootings Survivor - Route 91 and Borderline Shootings
Molly Maurer was attending the Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fired on the crowd. After surviving a mass shooting, she soon learned she was expecting her first child. She pushed the trauma of the shooting to the back of her mind to focus on being a mother. A year later she went to Borderline Bar and Grill for College Country Night. Inexplicably, she found herself, yet again, fleeing from the sound of gunshots. Lucky to have survived again, she knew she needed to take control of her mental health and seek help. It was through the tremendous support of the Give An Hour foundation that she was able to gain access to many resources and begin to heal her traumas. Molly found hope and promise through healing her traumas and plans to use her voice to advocate for other shooting survivors who are struggling to find that peace.
HEIDI BENDER
Mass Shooting Survivor - Route 91
Heidi Bender is a survivor of the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting that occurred on October 1, 2017. As the bullets rained down around her, she managed to escape the unthinkable that night and return back home to Huntington Beach, CA a completely different person. After spending years of masking the emotions, feelings, and pain, Heidi found her new normal and discovered hope after seeking help and unmasking her inner self at the DBT Center of Orange County. Heidi continued her healing journey by attending the Triumph Over Tragedy program at the Onsite Foundation in March 2020. While there, she discovered the importance and the positive impact of having a community of individuals who have experienced a similar tragedy to help with her healing. Heidi has a doctorate in physical therapy, and has worked as a pediatric physical therapist for the past five years with babies, children, and young adults to assist them in achieving developmental milestones and gain functional independence in their mobility. Her passion in life is to use her story to give others hope, be a source of light to those who are struggling, and encourage other survivors to seek help by supporting their journey of healing.
LYMAN MONTGOMERY Ph.D.
Child Sexual Abuse Survivor
Lyman Montgomery has lived a life with great and consistent losses. Before the age of 14, he was sexually abused by a trusted teacher and experienced the death of two of his grandparents-one of whom took her own life. Lyman kept silent about his abuse, avoided dealing with the grief of his fathers death by never mentioning him, associated with people who were better off financially, developed unhealthy relationships with women, performed as others expected, used accomplishments to feel better about himself and projected a religious lifestyle that was not rooted in righteousness.
Eventually, Lyman found a valued life coach who taught him how to balance work and family. At the request of his mentor, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a certified life and business coach. Since becoming a certified lifestyle and business coach, he went on to obtain the Master Level NLP Practitioner designation and is a Master Six Sigma Blackbelt. He is the president of Focused Driven Lifestyle Coaching, LLC, a well sought-after conference speaker, consultant, and #1 Amazon Best Selling Author. He is the recipient of the prestigious Best Presenter and the Empowered Leader Award.
Lyman received his Ph.D. in Human Resources Management from Northcentral University. He is the proud father of two sons, Cameron and Destin.