Brussels bombing survivor Sebastien Bellin's road to recovery
On March 22, 2016, Brussels was targeted by terrorists as bombs went off at its airport and train station. Thirty-two people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured, including Sebastien Bellin. From the moment of the blast in the airport, through his recovery, Sebastien did everything he could to not just survive, but to return to the life he loved.
Basketball has always been a big part of Sebastien Bellin's life. His basketball career began at Marist College in New York.
"Friends…were like, 'Dude you can't play soccer. You are 6'9",'" Bellin told "48 Hours."
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin also played basketball at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Road to Recovery
While at Oakland University, Sebastien Bellin met his future wife, Sara. They relocated to Belgium for his basketball career.
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin had a successful basketball career in Europe. He played professionally there for 15 years.
Road to Recovery
While in Belgium, the Bellin family grew with the birth of daughters, Cecilia and Vanessa. “You come home to your daughters…that’s what matters,” says Sebastien.
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin retired from basketball and the family moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. He became a partner in a sports streaming startup, Keemotion, which required frequent travel between Europe and the United States.
Road to Recovery
On March 6, 2016, Sebastien Bellin flew to Brussels for a business trip. Several months before, terrorists killed 130 people in Paris. “The atmosphere in Brussels was tense,” said Bellin.
Road to Recovery
On March 22, 2016, Sebastien Bellin was at the Brussels airport ready to fly home from a business trip when he was hit by a terrorist bomb. An injured Sebastien is captured in a photo seen around the world.
The photographer, Ketevan Kardava, says, “ It was terrible to realize what had happened…It was most important to show everyone , as many say, the face of terrorism.”
Photos: Ketevan Kardava’s “photo heroes”
Road to Recovery
This photo of Sebastien Bellin was the first that Ketevan Kardava posted to social media just after the Brussels Airport bombings.
“For me, it was most important to show everyone… the face of terrorism” Kardava told “48 Hours.”
Photos: Ketevan Kardava’s “photo heroes”
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin used a nearby suitcase to elevate his legs and a scarf on the floor served as a tourniquet.
Road to Recovery
After nearly two hours, Sebastien is put on an ambulance and rushed to a Brussels hospital. He immediately went in for surgery. “The power of an explosion, it just shatters everything. It not only broke my bones, but it exploded my muscle tissue around my bones,’ he explained.
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin faced multiple surgeries for his injuries, all geared toward making him able to walk again. He was not fit to travel, so his wife and daughters flew from Michigan to Brussels to visit him in the hospital.
Road to Recovery
Fifty-two days after the bombings, Sebastien Bellin had his sixth and final surgery and sees his legs without casts for the first time .
“It’s amazing just to see both my legs,” he said.
Road to Recovery
Seventy-five days after the bombing, Sebastien Bellin, in his wheelchair, made his first trip out of the hospital to visit one of the basketball teams he played for in Belgium.
Road to Recovery
Seventy-nine days after the bombings, Sebastien Bellin was released from the Brussels hospital. He flew to his hometown of Michigan, and headed to a rehab center.
Road to Recovery
At the Detroit Airport, Sara Bellin arranged a reunion as family members welcomed back Sebastien.
Road to Recovery
Bellin worked on regaining his strength and his ability to walk at the University of Michigan Hospital Rehabilitation Unit.
Road to Recovery
Ninety-three days after the bombings, Sebastien Bellin left the rehab center, returning to his family and house in Battle Creek.
Road to Recovery
Sebastien Bellin has finally returned to the basketball court, excited for a second shot at life.