Sebastien Bellin, a former professional basketball player and survivor of the Brussels attacks, will be featured in RTL info “Signatures” this Wednesday. On March 22, 2016, Bellin was seriously injured in the legs during the attack at Zaventem airport, causing him to suffer from a permanent handicap. However, during his testimony at the trial of the Brussels attacks, Bellin forgave the defendants for the atrocities they committed. Bellin believes that to survive, one must detach oneself from negative energy and hatred, and that there is a difference between being a victim and a survivor. Despite the changes he has went through, he is pleased with the person he has become. Bellin was fortunate to be surrounded by incredible people, including a nurse in the ambulance who beat him to keep him alive.
This Wednesday, the former basketball player and survivor of the Brussels attacks, Sebastien Bellin, is the guest of Christophe Deborsu and Luc Gilson in the RTL info “Signatures”.
Former professional basketball player and member of the Belgian national basketball team, Sébastien Bellin was to take a flight to New York on March 22, 2016 at Zaventem airport. He will be seriously injured in the legs by the explosions… Since then, the forty-year-old suffers from a permanent handicap, which he says he accepted, and no longer feels anything in his left leg.
When I woke up, the first reaction I had was that my face hurt
During his testimony at the trial of the Brussels attacks, Sebastien Bellin spoke directly to the defendants and forgave them for all the atrocities committed during the attack perpetrated at Zaventem airport. This evening on the set of RTL info, the former basketball player returned to his words: “To survive, you have to detach yourself from this negative energy and hatred. There is a big difference between victim and survivor. Today I am changed, but this change is better. I like the person I am now more than before the attacks.” did he declare.
On March 22, following the first explosion, the former athlete unknowingly “ran straight” to the second bomb, from which he was 5-6 meters away and which “tore” both his legs. He had shrapnel in his hip and mightn’t hear or feel anything. Sébastien Bellin lost 50% of his blood in the minutes following the attack and owes his survival in particular to a tourniquet applied to him by a soldier.
“I was lucky to be surrounded by amazing people. It wasn’t just me who got over it, I was helped. And especially this lady who was a nurse in the ambulance and who starts hitting me to keep me alive. When I woke up, the first reaction I had was that my face hurt, I thought I had burned myself but it was the beatings I had received to stay alive. life”, he explains on the set of RTL info.
In conclusion, Sebastien Bellin’s story is one of incredible resilience and forgiveness. Despite being a victim of the Brussels attacks, he has managed to transform himself into a survivor who no longer holds on to negative energy and hate. His remarkable ability to accept and overcome his permanent handicap is a true testament to his character. Through his powerful words, Bellin reminds us that there is a definite difference between being a victim and a survivor, and that we should strive towards the latter. We should all take inspiration from Bellin’s story and continue to spread love and positivity in the face of adversity.