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Sebastian Bellon
Just then, something rippled the surface of the black water. See that? My brother whispered. Something really big is out there. I squealed. My dad's face became very serious. Maybe he was even a little scared himself. What if it comes after us? My cousin Bill cried. You want to grow up experiencing those things that dads do? You just can't picture not being part of their life, you know? You can't picture not being there for them. Cecilia, monsters are very real.
Sarah Bellon
No, they are not.
Sebastian Bellon
Vanessa, are monsters real?
Sarah Bellon
No.
Sebastian Bellon
No, they aren't. Are you sure?
Narrator
One, two.
Sebastian Bellon
That monster's wheel. Are you sure? Are you sure? Not many people get to pinpoint that specific point in their life when you know your life changed. I'm thinking, I gotta make it. I gotta make it. I gotta make it, I gotta make it. I gotta see my daughters again. I gotta see my girls. The whole time you're just, you're fixated on that one thing. And you don't. You don't want to let any negative thoughts into your mind at all. You're about to die. I can remember just fixating on a point in the ceiling and just being like, okay, no, they're not gonna give me. They're not gonna give me the power of an explosion. It just shatters everything. It not only broke my bones, but it exploded my muscle tissues around my bones.
Sarah Bellon
You have life. Kind of like pulled a rug right from under you.
Sebastian Bellon
I knew that I had an advantage during the attack. I played 15 years professional. Any athlete has to push their limits.
Sarah Bellon
There are lots of things that took place that happened for him to make it. If you take one of those away, I don't know if he would have survived.
Sebastian Bellon
At that time, I didn't really care whether I had legs or not. I just was going to be alive. I was going to able to see Sarah, Cecilia and Vanessa again. And so that became my, my motivation really, throughout the. It was. It was my two little girls. I mean, to think I was 30 yards away from a blast. And life said, it's not your time yet. For what reason, I don't know. But I was truly, truly lucky. I had no fear. I was, you know, never been scared of flying. I've never been. Never thought twice about being in certain areas. You know, traveling is such a second nature for me, so.
Narrator
Sebastian Belen has spent much of his life on planes. Born in Brazil to Belgian parents, his father's job as an international businessman took him all over the world, including here in the States, where he played college basketball.
Sebastian Bellon
Basketball became kind of my sport because I didn't stop growing. I think I had a lot of friends, like, dude, you can't play soccer. You know what I mean? You're six, nine, you can't play soccer.
Narrator
Bellon on the weak side. First, he played at Marist College in New York and then transferred to Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan where he met his wife Sarah.
Sarah Bellon
We're awesome.
Narrator
After marrying, they relocated to Europe where Sebastian continued his basketball career playing professionally.
Sarah Bellon
He was a spirited guy.
Sebastian Bellon
Just ask for the ball and come
Sarah Bellon
on guys, we can do this.
Narrator
For Sebastien Belen.
Sebastian Bellon
When you're hot, you're hot.
Sarah Bellon
Really emotional and passionate, wanting to win and wanting to win as a team.
Sebastian Bellon
So we were living a good life. I mean, it was fun. And then little Cecilia came along in 2008, you're gonna have a little sister to take care of. And in 2012, Vanessa came along. Peekaboo. You come home to your daughters, the basketball side, everything that's been your focus changes. That's what matters.
Narrator
So after a long 15 year career, Sebastian retired. He moved his family to Sarah's hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan and became a partner in a sports streaming startup. A job that required travel between Europe and the United States.
Sebastian Bellon
I can do that. I know you can. You're going to do that. I was traveling probably two weeks out of every month.
Sarah Bellon
I was on the road when Sebastian started traveling and taking airplanes a lot. I didn't love it, but I don't love flying since what's happened with 9 11, it's kind of spooked me. And then I also would push it out and be like, Sarah, let's be realistic. What's the likelihood of something happening? Sebastian flew out. It was the 6th of March, it was a Sunday because I remember that I was baking a cake with the girls for my sister's birthday. Looking back at those photos, I would get teary eyed because for one, I knew that was the day that he left. And it was carrot cake that we were making and he loves carrot cake.
Narrator
Sebastian was heading to Brussels on yet another business trip. But this time he was traveling during an especially dangerous period. Four months earlier, terrorists killed 130 people and wounded more than 350 in the worst terrorist attack in Paris history.
Sebastian Bellon
The atmosphere in Brussels was tense because they had found that over a lot of these terrorist attacks in Paris were coordinated and originated from one of the suburbs of Brussels.
Narrator
Just days before Sebastian was to fly home, two of the terrorists involved in the Paris attacks were arrested in the outskirts of Brussels.
Sebastian Bellon
So I really feel that the days leading up to March 22, I started getting gut feelings. You're not safe. I remember being at a restaurant with my good friends and there was a lot of talk about, you know, what are the consequences of these arrests. And the restaurant had huge glass windows overlooking the street. And I remember thinking, if terrorists decide to go down this street and start shooting up with this restaurant, I mean, there's no way to hide.
Sarah Bellon
The last time I spoke with him was via text. And he was just heading to bed. It was already really late there.
Narrator
Sebastian was flying home.
Sarah Bellon
And then we were spending the long weekend, the Easter weekend together as a family.
Sebastian Bellon
I get dropped off by one of my colleagues at the airport. A lot of flights go in and out, very open, you know, very easy. You can park right in front of the airport. I remember seeing the clock on the car, 7:45, and I immediately go check in. And my flight was like at 9, 10 or something like that. So not a lot of time to check in. So I run to the check in counter, get my boarding pass. I was one of the last ones to check in.
Narrator
While Sebastian was checking in at 7:55, three members of an ISIS cell with ties to the Paris attacks were entering the airport. Each one pushing luggage containing a bomb.
Sebastian Bellon
There's not a worry on my mind. Everything's right. And then in a span of three minutes, my life changes. I see the blast and I felt. I felt the blast, but I didn't get hit. I escaped it. I remember looking back and seeing the tunnel from where the blast went off just collapsing. And I started hearing screams and I immediately knew that a bomb went off. Then I immediately start running. You want to run towards a gate where there's policemen with guns, don't run outside, don't run, because you don't know where the second bomb will come from. If there's a second bomb, you don't know anything. So in a split of a second, I had to decide, do I run outside or do I run towards the gates? And I ran towards the gates. When death is right in front of you, you get a lot of clarity. Because the things that flash in front of you are all the things that you would regret if you died at that moment. And I remember running faster than some people. I'm like, you know, dodging people, trying to get by them. I think I had made it, you know, I think I escaped something. But then, yeah, the second one caught me. The violence of an explosion just rocks you. It projects you forward. For two or three seconds. You don't know what Hits you. All I know is I was coming to my senses. I'm leaning on one side, and I knew I needed help. So I start, you know, I tried crawling, but crawling is so inefficient because there's so much debris around you. So I start waving my hands and screaming to try to get attention. And a minute or two later, luck has it, I just feel a tug on my arm, and somebody starts pulling me. And my first instinct was, if they start pulling you, your left leg's not going to come with you. So I'm reaching down, holding onto my left leg, and he drags me, I would say, 10, 20 yards to behind the column. And I look down at my hip, you know, I just have bone and flesh sticking out from just underneath my belt. So then I start seeing about my legs, and I could just see the pools of blood already, you know, around both legs. I'm just so focused on the instinct of survival. So I didn't realize there was a photographer there taking my picture.
Sarah Bellon
I saw many passengers with their legs blown up.
Narrator
The photographer was Katavan Kardova, a foreign correspondent for the Eurasian country Georgia.
Sarah Bellon
I am standing in front of the Brussels Airlines ticket office. It's me.
Narrator
She had been checking in for her flight when the bombings occurred.
Sarah Bellon
I took only 12 pictures, and I had only one minute. So, 12 pictures in a minute. I call them my photo heroes.
Sebastian Bellon
It was very terrible to realize what has happened. There was a dead woman right next to me, and she was, like, all white. I remember a wedding ring, like, looking at her hand, and I remember a wedding ring. And suddenly I started thinking of my girls and Sarah. And I said, if you stay here with all the blood, with your sweating, you're going to die.
Sarah Bellon
In the morning, I'd always go to his account, you know, to see if what he sent. He'd always sent really nice messages and things, and I got nothing.
Sebastian Bellon
I know, from basketball and from injuries, the more your feet are elevated, you know, the less blood will flow into them. So I saw a gray suitcase, and I asked for somebody to bring me over that gray suitcase. The pain you feel of actually someone lifting your almost detached legs onto a suitcase is excruciating. And then to my right, I remember seeing a scarf as well, lying on the ground. So I asked someone to bring over the scarf and to use it as a tourniquet around my right leg. I could see also how much blood I was losing. And so it immediately whipped me into shape, saying, you need to get out of here. So I look around and I saw a luggage cart, and so I told someone to bring over the baggage cart, and they lifted me up onto the cart. That was the second time I really felt excruciating pain. And so I asked somebody to push me to the front of the airport. I said, look, I gotta get an ambulance. And they were all like, no, no, you gotta stay here. You cannot move. You have to stay here. We have to secure the airport. But I started saying, if I stay here and I die, it's on your conscience. This is on you. And finally, they pushed me to the front of the airport. And I remember the push. About a few seconds later, firemen come around the corner and they pick up. I remember them trying to push me through the rubble, and they couldn't do it, so they just picked me up and they carried me outside.
Narrator
Two terrorists had died when their bombs went off. A third bomb never exploded. And the terrorist carrying that one, the man in the hat, was on the run. It had been nearly two hours since Seb was hit by a bomb. He had lost 50% of his blood. Finally, he was on his way to the hospital.
Sebastian Bellon
They asked me for a phone number. And, you know, that's actually the first time I panicked. I couldn't remember a phone number. And so I was like, how am I going to get Sarah the news? How am I going to get my girls the news that I'm alive, that I made it? And I gave my in laws landline, which is a number that I've memorized for 18 years. I was like, please answer the phone.
Sarah Bellon
I got a phone call from my mom. I didn't realize at the moment how major how big the terrorist attack was. It was all about Sebastian at that point, okay, well, he's hurt, so how. How hurt is he?
Narrator
By now, Cutevan, seen here at the airport, started posting about the attack on social media.
Sarah Bellon
And first photo I posted, it was a photo of Sebastian, for me, was most important to show everyone, as many say, the face of terrorism. And I immediately went to Facebook because that's where the news is quickly. And I saw the photo of Sebastian, you know, lying on the ground. And I remember I was screaming with terror, you know, and because he was down on the ground and just thinking about he could have died or is there still a chance that he could die? I mean, there was all these so many things going through my mind at that point.
Sebastian Bellon
The whole purpose was just to get out alive. So you start telling yourself, well, if I lose my left leg, I'm okay. And then they put me under Sleep. And I don't remember anything after that. In my mind, it was the worst case scenario.
Narrator
Two hours after the bombings, Sebastian Bellon finally made it into the operating room of Dr. Demetrios Kualales.
Sebastian Bellon
When you have patients coming out of an explosion, you cannot always find immediately the injury. So you're always afraid that there's something that you missed.
Narrator
Sebastian's right hip and left leg were shattered. Shrapnel from the explosion ripped through his leg, leaving muscle and bone exposed.
Sebastian Bellon
This is the fracture of his left leg, of the left tibia. You can see it's multi fragmented, many fragments. All these are pieces of bone. And the fibula was broken as well.
Narrator
Dr. Koulales and his team spent four hours stabilizing the fractures with a brace, controlling the bleeding and removing the shrapnel, all the while knowing more surgeries would be needed.
Sebastian Bellon
I woke up from surgery. You're so tired. You're so drained emotionally and physically that there's not a lot of room to digest what happened. It's not until later that I realized that there was an attack on the metro as well.
Narrator
At 9:11am that same morning, another suicide bomber attacked the Malbec subway station in the heart of Brussels. Between the two attacks, over 300 were injured and 32 people had lost their lives. They included people of 14 nationalities, including Americans. Mothers, fathers, students, and even a pair of siblings who were on their way to visit their favorite city, New York.
Sebastian Bellon
Life is just, you know, it's on threads. It's. You need a lot of luck in these situations.
Sarah Bellon
I remember being extremely impatient and desperate to. To hear his voice and actually hear that he's okay.
Sebastian Bellon
The first conversation I had with Sarah, I tried to reassure her. I said, no, look, I'm alive, I'm okay. Everything's gonna work out.
Sarah Bellon
I didn't believe that he was completely okay. You know, I didn't trust it in his voice. You know, your spouse, you know, and you can tell if they're okay or not. So I may be calmed down a bit. When I first arrived to the hospital, I just remember being so excited to see him. We both did cry. There were tears. But that's a time of. I mean, I can't stop smiling because I remember that it's just that feeling of, he's here and I can hug him and we can do this. We're together. He made it.
Narrator
We're only about a half a mile away from the office of the mayor. I was in Brussels covering the attacks when I first met Sebastian. Hey, Sebastian. How's it going, man?
Sebastian Bellon
The one thing I'm trying to ask myself all the time is how did I get through this? I would have signed, you know, on the dotted line. That said just to be alive and see my two girls again, you know?
Narrator
And I was there when Sebastian's father, his stepmother, and two younger brothers flew from California and paid him a surprise visit.
Sebastian Bellon
What are you doing? Hi. But you can't do that to me.
Sarah Bellon
He and his dad are really close.
Sebastian Bellon
Oh, man, you gotta give me a heads up.
Sarah Bellon
After all this, for him to be able to see. See his dad again and everything that he'd been through, I mean, he just kind of let it go.
Sebastian Bellon
I remember the military guy wrapping, tying up your thigh.
Narrator
The big question, would Sebastian ever walk again? Over several weeks, he had four more surgeries to repair the fractures. Now it was a waiting game.
Sebastian Bellon
I look forward to challenging myself to get back to where I was before. When I'm in the hospital, this is my pull ups. And you just hold. Go back down. He's a fighter. He's a man of positive thinking. It's something every doctor hopes to have on his patient.
Narrator
In the days after the bombings, tension is high and security is increased throughout Belgium. The manhunt for the terrorists is intense. In the suburbs of Brussels, police arrest some of those involved in the bombings, including the key player, Mohamed Abrini. The man with the hat.
Sebastian Bellon
Where are you going now? To the hospital. To the hospital? No, the hospital. Hospital. Who are you going to see? Yes. It's unbelievable to think that I was very close to never seeing them again. They just walk into the room and everything's great. Hi.
Narrator
What are you doing?
Sebastian Bellon
I think kids need to touch, you know, they need to be present. Come here. Come here. Why are you afraid? You think you're gonna hurt my. You're not gonna hurt that. You're not gonna hurt that. You don't have to worry. It's all better. Go ahead, knock it away. Yeah, try. FaceTime's great. But to see the actual cast, to touch it, you know, they see that their dad is getting better, you know, is healing. So what. What happened to Papa's? Why did Papa hurt his leg? Because of the bad guys. Because the bad guys. What did the bad guys do to Papa? Hit him. They hit me. And then. And then the leg was all.
Narrator
Was.
Sebastian Bellon
Was broken because it hit me. But where are the bad guys? In jail. Okay, so they were all, we're all good, right? Can I still throw you up? Can I still throw you up? I'm gonna throw you up? I'm very happy to see you. Tough boy. Tough boy. Why do you say tough boy? Because you're strong. I'm strong. Hello.
Narrator
But when it comes time for Sarah and the girls to go back to Michigan, Sebastian can't go with them.
Sarah Bellon
Look at mama.
Narrator
After enduring five surgeries, he needs one more. And this one will determine whether he'll be able to walk again.
Sebastian Bellon
Hey, did I wake you up? Just now. Are you sleeping? I'm a little bit anxious about the surgery, but I'm really looking forward to it.
Narrator
What?
Sebastian Bellon
Are you up? All right. They're taking me. They're gonna put a pin through my knee, which will solidify. Solidify the tibia. Love you, honey. See you in a bit. Love you, too. The risk when you drill a pin into a bone is that there's. You increase the chance of infection. It's a chance I'm willing to take. See you later, Sam. See you, buddy.
Narrator
For years, Gone south has been a podcast about crime in the American South. But for our new season, we're widening the lens. Through deeply reported narrative driven stories, we're digging into the myths, scandals, and power structures that still shape the south and in a lot of ways, the country itself. Follow and listen to gone South Season 5 An Odyssey podcast, available now on
Sebastian Bellon
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows. It's amazing. So this is the. This is the shrapnel that was in my leg that came out. Good riddance. The operation went well. I'm just happy it's the last one. I mean, hopefully, you know, it's sixth one. Sixth and final one. It's amazing just seeing both of the legs. I haven't seen both my legs just almost bare like this in two months. Nothing is taken for granted anymore. When you survive something like this. And there's not one single minute
Narrator
where
Sebastian Bellon
you don't sit here in complete gratefulness. I fought pretty hard to get here, and it's. It's almost like it's full circle.
Sarah Bellon
This last surgery was on Friday the 13th, coincidentally. But the next day was his birthday. So I made a video to his favorite song, and I wanted to put something together of photos for him to that song.
Sebastian Bellon
That's amazing.
Sarah Bellon
It was a special birthday. He was alive, celebrating, you know, turning 38. So that's amazing.
Sebastian Bellon
I might have all the birthday presents I need for the rest of my life. But don't tell my wife that. This is the first time I've been out of the hospital, really, since the attacks. Is there speed limit?
Narrator
The trip is to a Brussels basketball arena where Seb is heading to cheer on one of his old teams as they root for his recovery.
Sebastian Bellon
This was home for four seasons. Some good night memories here. Thank you very much for the support and thank you. I did the jump ball. You know, I have core and see basically, you know, a 4,000 seat arena. Just give me a standing ovation. Watching guys that I played with. And so to see it was difficult. I still don't know whether I will be ever able to do sports like I was before. You know, it depends how I heal. This is a big step because it's a, you know, it's all about being able to put more and more weight on my hip, which was reconstructed, and on my, on my leg, which was completely reconstructed as well. So it's a big, It's a big step.
Narrator
Ready?
Sebastian Bellon
Let's go. One, two. Okay. Feel great. Perfect. All six surgeries are done. The follow up has been done. Everything is positive. So the next chapter is being able to focus 100 on rehab, which I'm going to do at the day, the end of University of Michigan. But I think the big thing is for, you know, for my daughters. I love him so much with kisses on my cheeks. For me to be present again and for me to be, you know, University of Michigan is an hour away from our house, so it's a step closer. They'll be able to come visit.
Sarah Bellon
Love him so much.
Sebastian Bellon
Tall, strong and big. It's about 4 in the morning. It's a big day, so I'm heading home. It's a huge step because you kind of go from getting fixed to now recovery and getting back to my old self. And that to me is the biggest challenge because will I be able to get back to my old self? Who knows? But you know, I'm definitely going to try flying out of Amsterdam to go back to Detroit. Obviously, Brussels Airport to me is where it all happened. I just don't want to go back there, you know, I mean, I'm still. There's still vivid images of the attack in my mind. I just don't want to wake anything up.
Narrator
Oh, you're good.
Sebastian Bellon
Oh, that's good. Okay, awesome.
Narrator
I'm going to.
Sebastian Bellon
Ready to take off.
Sarah Bellon
I wanted the, the flight to obviously go well. I was concerned about how he would be feeling if he'd be uncomfortable.
Sebastian Bellon
Home. Pretty good. Pretty good feeling.
Sarah Bellon
I was trying to get as many people who could come to be there and he had no idea. We're ready. We're bursting. Okay.
Sebastian Bellon
Just waiting for Cece. And V to run to me. So three months in the making. It's a long time. I've been through in Detroit Airport. I don't know how many times, so I know exactly where we're heading. But then the wheelchair exits the elevator, And I see all my family that are there. All of a sudden, it's just. It's the realization that the toughest is behind. The road is still long, but you got all these people that got your back. The amount of love that was in that group was just unbelievable, you know, and it's something that I knew I could depend on for the next stage of my rehab.
Narrator
I'm quite impressed with how well Sebastian's rebounded and healed. He's taking everything on with a positive attitude.
Sebastian Bellon
Air ball.
Narrator
And he hasn't had complications. And so from that perspective, he's doing quite well.
Sebastian Bellon
Oh, yeah.
Narrator
Dr. Sean Smith oversees Sebastian's rehab. I mean, it's noticeably stronger. He still has a really long way to go, though
Sebastian Bellon
here. What I really find, besides the physical progress is the mental progress. Like, I really feel confident getting up here and doing these things.
Sarah Bellon
Show off.
Sebastian Bellon
So motivating to keep moving forward. Jeez.
Narrator
I think the hardest injury for Sebastian to overcome is gonna be the left ankle and foot. It's that he has severe nerve damage, and we can't predict when somebody's gonna be walking or in Sebastian's case, you know, shooting a jump shot.
Sebastian Bellon
Today's the big going home party. It's been a while in the making.
Narrator
Haven't seen Seb in three and a half months. Yo,
Sarah Bellon
what's up, man?
Sebastian Bellon
It's good to see you.
Narrator
Look at you.
Sebastian Bellon
Hold on. You know what I'm gonna do for you?
Narrator
What?
Sebastian Bellon
Hold on. Stay right there.
Narrator
All right, Come on. I can't reach you now. This is gonna be the first time you step foot into your house. Yeah. I mean, just describe how you're feeling
Sebastian Bellon
when you're so close to death. Those are things that seem so far away now that it's there, right? You're like, dang it.
Narrator
You're like, two hours away.
Sebastian Bellon
Like, I really did it.
Narrator
I know. You gotta pack, right?
Sebastian Bellon
No, I'm already.
Narrator
You're good to go.
Sebastian Bellon
Mentally, I've been packed for a while.
Narrator
At the University of Michigan, Sebastian was aided by over 15 dedicated teammates who helped him take his first steps.
Sebastian Bellon
And three, two, one. I'm extremely grateful for all the people that have helped me in the past and still currently involved in healing me. You bond to them because they're part of your rebuilding all right.
Sarah Bellon
You know darn well that you're not walking out with this. Come on.
Sebastian Bellon
All right, that's where we're going. This is the game time.
Narrator
That's right. This is it, man.
Sarah Bellon
I'm so happy that he lived, obviously, and he's doing so well, but to have to kind of start over a little bit, it's like, whoa,
Sebastian Bellon
no more hospitals for a long time. Being in the hospital in Belgium for so long, you do have to find motivation. And the image I always had was being home. So actually pulling up on June 23rd and I seen the girls. Welcome home, papa. It was like it came full circle. Oh, my God.
Narrator
Sebastian may be home, but there's no escape from what he's been through. And just three weeks later, he gets a sobering reminder. The French president Francois Hollande has been briefed about what is happening right now in Nice. Dozens of people, including several children, were
Sebastian Bellon
killed when the driver of a truck plowed. This is unbelievable. It's tragic. It's why this cycle of hate and viciousness needs to stop. The 32 people that died in Brussels, I think about them all the time. I think. I think I've suffered from post traumatic stress, but it tried to defeat it with all the other great things that are happening. No. Watch the speed limit. Okay.
Narrator
One. For the first time since the attack, Sebastian is able to retake the court where he once played in College. After 234 days, he's finally back on his feet.
Sebastian Bellon
There's not a thing that can stop me now.
Narrator
Making the most out of his second shot at life.
Sebastian Bellon
I love life, you know, and it's been good to me.
Narrator
During rehabilitation, Sebastian Belen set a goal of running the Brussels Marathon. He fulfilled that goal by completing the 26 mile race. In 2018, when beloved family patriarch Gary Farris went missing, his family looked everywhere on their property until they came across something horrifying. It's a homicide.
Sebastian Bellon
Absolutely.
Narrator
The blame game in this family went round and round. This is Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel.
Sebastian Bellon
I don't see how anyone can look at this story and think they were happy.
Narrator
Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel is available on Amazon Music. Follow the show on Amazon Music for more Future episodes.
Sarah Bellon
Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and TV shows.
Narrator
If I'm lying, I'm dying.
Sebastian Bellon
Like Dream Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants and Ghosts.
Narrator
Free.
Sebastian Bellon
This is my day. Huzzah. Pluto TV. Stream now. Pay never.
Podcast: 48 Hours
Host: CBS News
Air Date: March 4, 2026
Main Story Subjects: Sebastien Bellon and family
Episode Theme: Survival, resilience, and recovery in the aftermath of the 2016 Brussels terrorist attack
"Live to Tell: The Long Road Home" illuminates the harrowing journey of Sebastien Bellon—a former professional basketball player—and his family's fight to recover physically and emotionally after Bellon survived the devastating twin bombings at the Brussels airport in 2016. The episode dives deeply into themes of trauma, luck, love, and the indomitable human spirit, guiding listeners through Bellon's near-death experience, his medical ordeal, and the long, inspiring road back to life with his wife Sarah and daughters.
Sebastien's Routine Upended (07:09–09:19)
Survival Instinct & Trauma (11:30–14:07)
Emergency Response & Surgery (15:36–19:02)
Communication & Family Support (16:00–20:40)
Post-Surgical Setbacks and Hope (21:19–26:00)
Reuniting with Family & Emotional Highs (33:24–35:33)
Adaptation & Rehabilitation (35:33–36:32)
Return Home & Full Circle (36:36–38:54)
Overcoming PTSD and Lessons Learned (38:54–40:07)
On Facing Death and Family:
“You don’t want to let any negative thoughts into your mind at all. You’re about to die. … The only thing you fixate on is, 'I gotta see my daughters again.'"
–Sebastian Bellon [00:59]
On Surviving Against Odds:
“Any athlete has to push their limits.”
–Sebastian Bellon [02:19]
On What Matters Most:
“You come home to your daughters … everything that’s been your focus changes. That’s what matters.”
–Sebastian Bellon [05:07]
On Luck and Survival:
“Life is just, you know, it’s on threads. You need a lot of luck in these situations.”
–Sebastian Bellon [20:04]
On Recovery and Gratefulness:
“There’s not one single minute where you don’t sit here in complete gratefulness. I fought pretty hard to get here, and it’s … almost like it’s full circle.”
–Sebastian Bellon [28:05]
On Moving Forward Despite Trauma:
“I think I’ve suffered from post traumatic stress, but it [is] tried to defeat it with all the other great things that are happening.”
–Sebastian Bellon [39:11]
| Timestamp | Segment | Notes | |-----------|----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:09–02:37 | Family scene & Sebastien’s childhood | Establishes family dynamics, resilience, and foreshadowing | | 07:09–09:19 | Lead-up to airport attack | Builds suspense; speaks to larger terror context in Europe | | 09:19–14:07 | Attack unfolds, immediate aftermath | Sebastien’s survival instincts, injury, rescue | | 15:36–20:40 | Hospital, communication, first surgeries | Family notified, major physical trauma | | 22:33–26:00 | Rehabilitation and further surgeries | Focuses on positive attitude, relationships with medical team | | 28:29–31:04 | Emotional milestones, healing, support | Special birthday, support from community, basketball return | | 33:24–35:33 | Returning home to Michigan | Reunion, family strength, healing together | | 36:36–41:03 | Homecoming, rehabilitation, basketball court| Recovery, PTSD, enduring love, symbolic victory |
The episode is emotional, candid, and documentary-like, featuring intense first-person recollections from Sebastian and Sarah, expert medical explanations, and moving family reunions. The story is punctuated by moments of humor, sports metaphors, and sincere reflection, maintaining a tone of hope and resilience amid tragedy.
"Live to Tell: The Long Road Home" is a masterful account of surviving the unthinkable—and persisting in the face of adversity through hope, grit, community, and love. Sebastien Bellon’s journey and his family’s support impart a deeply human story about the cost and strength of survival. Anyone seeking inspiration or insight into what it takes to heal—body and soul—in the shadow of disaster will find this episode unforgettable.