Benjamin Hall at home in London, February 2023.Photo: Lauren Fleishman
War correspondentBenjamin Halltook a moment on Tuesday to reflect on the Russian attack that nearly killed him last year, saying that the first anniversary has been more difficult than anticipated — but that “life goes on.”
“I’ll be very honest, today was harder this morning than I thought it would be,” Hall said in aTuesday morning appearanceon Fox News' programAmerica’s Newsroom. “And I had to wake myself up this morning and I had realize what day it was, and what I learned all year is you address it — you realize the hurt that has happened and you find that strength to put it to one side and move on.”
He continued: “I have been talking all week about how you do that, about what you can do, and this morning I told myself this is one of those moments when you have to do it — you have to find that extra piece of strength you have to walk out that door and make the most of that day. And so I did it this morning.”
Benjamin Hall reports from Horenka, Ukraine, on the day of the bombing. Pierre Zakrzewski filmed.Pierre Zakrzewski/Fox News
In his new memoir,Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home— out Tuesday — the journalist recounts his harrowing road to recovery—one that included 30 surgeries after he lost a leg on one side and a foot on the other, and lost function of both a hand and an eye.
“I always thought that the first year would be about recovery,” Hall told Fox on Tuesday.
But his recovery, he added, continues even a year later.
“Every day is difficult,” Hall said. “And every day, I wake up and there’s still that slight moment where you realize you can’t jump out of bed anymore — your legs aren’t there. And that I have to go through every single day.”
Hall added that there are “still injuries to be dressed, there are still a whole lot of procedures to do in the morning. That is part of the day now.”
Hero, Honor and Iris Hall jump on the trampoline with encouragement from their dad.Lauren Fleishman
In a recent interview with PEOPLE ahead of the one-year anniversary of the attack, Hall said, “I look at the world now in a much more confident way. You could throw absolutely anything at me and I know that I’ll get through it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Hall said that, while he’s grateful for his ability to tell his story, he realizes the tragedy was greater for those related to his colleagues. “I speak to Pierre’s family and I understand that I lost a lot — I lost limbs and I’m badly injured — but they lost everything,” he told PEOPLE.
But while awaiting rescue on a deserted highway in Ukraine, Hall recalled that his decision to live life to the fullest came as a result of wanting to carry on the legacies of Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova.
“I realized that for them, I have to live the most fulfilling life. A life that helps everyone else. A life that makes the most of it in their names,” Hall said. “Otherwise, I’m wasting it.”
For more on Benjamin Hall’s new outlook on life,subscribe now to PEOPLEor pick up this week’s issue.Hall’s memoir,Saved, was released Tuesday.
source: people.com
