The start to the Boston Marathon in 2013 was all smiles for former New England Patriots guard Joe Andruzzi, his namesake Joe Andruzzi Foundation, and his wife, Jen, who has run the race five times.
"It was a beautiful day. It was very nice out. It was warm. I remember when we were standing at the finish line, the sun being hot on our face," said Jen Andruzzi.
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But their joy quickly turned to chaos.
"I just remember holding hands standing at the finish line and looking like, 'What was that?'" Joe Andruzzi recalled.
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Two explosions went off within 14 seconds of one another.
"And then the second one, and then you heard everybody and then you saw everybody running," Jen Andruzzi said.
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Twenty-one runners took part in that year's marathon for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which helps families dealing with cancer.
"I remember somebody coming over and yelling, 'We have to get these fences down so we can get the ambulances down the road,'" said Joe Andruzzi. "I didn't think, I just reacted. Right away, my wife was by my side, and she reacted with me."
Jen Andruzzi noticed three girls carrying a woman on their back.
"I ran across the street and I told them to let me help, and I picked her up. That was their mom, actually. She was hit by debris," Joe Andruzzi recalled.
Ten years later, the husband and wife are reflecting on the pain and progress made.
"Time heals all wounds, but wounds like that are sometimes harder to heal," Joe Andruzzi said.
"I think of all the beautiful things that have happened in the last 10 years, and I think that is what lifts us up," Jen Andruzzi said. "That's what needs to lift us up on Monday, April 17."
