#71 - Amy Downs, "Another Bomb. I Think I Am Going to Die" - How I Survived the Oklahoma City Bombing

"I'm in my office chair upside down and they are screaming. Another bomb! Another bomb! And I think that I am going to die." Scarlett Lewis speaks with Amy Downs, author of Hope is a Verb: My Journey of Impossible Transformation. Amy was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which a total of 168 people were killed including 18 of her 33 co-workers. When Amy's building exploded, she fell 3 stories and was buried alive for 6 hours. Amy's book talks about how she was a victim but she was able to transform her life with hope. Amy says, "Hope is the jetfuel that propels you to the moon. You have the ability to change your future." Amy says that a new person emerges after a tragedy and she embraces and loves the person she is now. She encourages everyone to reassess and see what you can do to move forward instead of sitting back to blame yourself or others in difficult times especially when you feel like a victim. The person you are after a tragedy can be a better version of the person you were before the tragedy which is called post-traumatic growth. Scarlett and Amy discuss how we all have the power to move forward which will bring hope alive in our spirit and then allow us to help others dealing with pain. Listen to this inspiring podcast today.