LIVING OUR NEW NORMAL

In 2013 our family was faced with the unthinkable, a terrorist attack on the streets of Boston at the marathon finish line. We had seven family members standing within 10 feet of the first bomb that went off. Not everybody survived that horrific day but our story has a silver lining in that we all made it out alive – not without the incredible medical professionals of Boston Medical Centers trauma unit and Spaulding Rehabilitation Center.

Life isn’t the same since that horrific day, every day presents challenges. A joyous Boston day since April 1897 has changed our lives forever. A day that should have been celebrated for crossing the finish line after running 26.2 miles, we now celebrate our daily victories and living our ‘new normal’. The message that resonates for us is that your true character is revealed by how you choose to deal with sudden changes and unexpected events. Ironically, experiencing a global pandemic presents its own set of challenges for each family. We see a parallel in that the only thing we can control is our effort and attitude and how we choose to deal with the adverse situation.

Nicole grew up in the South Bay and the Reis family moved back to Palos Verdes in 2014 after 11 years in Massachusetts. They moved to PV in 2014 with their boys- Jacob (13) 8th grade at PVIS, Christian and Weston (10) 4th grade at Montemalaga. Matt was offered a job as the goalkeeper coach for the LA Galaxy in 2013 after the Boston Marathon. Matt decided to retire from playing and they were excited to start the next chapter of life back in So Cal after 11 years in Massachusetts. Matt was raised in Orange County, and the couple met at UCLA as student athletes. Nicole’s parents (John and Karen Odom) live in the Hollywood Riviera and it was very important to Nicole to be close to them so they could “celebrate life every day!” Nicole and Matt regularly celebrate life together with her parents watching the sunset in the backyard of the Reis’s new home in Palos Verdes. John and Karen are building their dream home at RHCC and hope to spend Thanksgiving in their new home on the golf course. Nicole started her real estate business two years ago and is thriving as an agent at Compass. Matt is Director of Soccer Operations for Sporting Global where he oversees the Barca Academy. They are very involved with their children’s activities throughout the Peninsula and couldn’t be happier residing in Palos Verdes.

Photography by Erik Jay

Surviving Terror

At the time of the bombing, Matt Reis was the New England Revolution goalkeeper. In 2013 he was awarded MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year for his courage and quick thinking which ultimately saved his father-in-law, John Odom’s life.

Here is the story. On April 15, 2013, about 10 minutes before the first of two explosions a group of seven of the Reis and Odom family members arrived in front of Marathon Sports, where the bomb went off. Matt Reis moved closer to the finish line with his son Jacob and his brother-in-law about two minutes before the explosion. When he heard it, he said, he handed Jacob to his brother-in-law and hurried to the site of the blast “My father-in-law had received a wound that went from the outside of his left leg, through his left leg and embedded in his right leg.” Using articles of clothing as make-shift tourniquets, Matt reduced Odom’s blood loss – an act that saved his life. Two weeks after he arrived at the hospital, John’s condition had been changed from critical to serious. He has undergone nine surgeries. John Odom has made a miraculous recovery. The event took a tremendous emotional toll on the whole family including Nicole’s son Jacob, who had been on Matt’s shoulders when the bomb exploded. This family’s positive attitude and huge smiles are a testament to their strength of spirit which allows them to “celebrate life every day.”

Thank you to Matt and Nicole Reis for sharing your story with us.