I wanted to share an email I received from our legal assistant, Ronaele Salisbury, in response to our contributions following the Boston Marathon Terrorist attacks.

It is overwhelming to know where to start to help all that were injured or lost a loved one. They will have medical bills, loss of income, medical supplies and many will have to remodel their homes so they will be wheelchair accessible. The other side of this act of terrorism is all of the first responders that made such a difference in the lives of so many people. It is so tragic that we lost one officer and another officer is fighting for his life, but it is so amazing that the other officers were able to go home to their families after such an intense standoff that lasted for so long. They worked tirelessly to not only figure out who was responsible for this and then they were able to take these monsters down in less than one week. These first responders and their families will carry the terror of last week with them for the rest of their lives. Our contributions and heartfelt thank you will go a long way in helping them. They put their own lives on the line day after day and it is so good to be able to recognize their sacrifices and thank them for being our true heroes. There is a sign outside of our police/fire station in Norfolk that says “Boston Strong” and every time I pass it I cry for the loss of lives and the terror we have been through as a city, as a state and even as a nation. This is so hard for me to process, but I keep coming back to the feeling I get from that statement “Boston Strong” because it represents our resilience, one person helping another. Thank you again for being so generous and thoughtful of our brothers and sisters that need us. I am proud to work here for you.

by Ronaele Salisbury, Legal Assistant

I hope like me, you will find Ronaele’s sentiments capture what we are all experiencing.

– Steven M. Ballin, Esq.