East Boston Neighborhood Health Center’s Juli Windsor, a Physician Assistant at the health center’s Pediatrics Department is the subject of a new documentary that aired on the Discovery Channel last week.
On Thursday, the staff of the EBNHC joined together at Zumix to view a screening of the documentary, Little Person: Boston Strong. The documentary traces Windsor’s first attempt at being the first person with dwarfism to finish the Boston Marathon in 2013–the year the two bombs went off near the finish line killing three people and injuring hundreds more–and her perseverance to do it the following year despite being stopped less than a mile from the finish line.
“Last Tuesday marked the two year anniversary of that tragic day in Boston’s at the Boston Marathon,” said EBNHC Steve Snyder. “We wanted to come here today to certainly recognize and remember that event but put a more positive spin on it and show the incredible spirit our city had and how Juli not only embodied that Boston Strong attitude after the tragic events of April 15, 2013.”
At 2:49 p.m. on April 15, 2013, Windsor was less than a mile away from completing a lifelong quest to become the first person with dwarfism to finish the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately, the bombings that day transformed her triumph into terror. At mile 25.7, Windsor, along with thousands of other runners, was turned back before crossing the finish line. Determined, driven, and rallying with a city by her side, Windsor vowed to run again in 2014 for a chance at redemption as much as making history.
Little Person: Boston Strong is a one-hour documentary about the comeback of one 3-foot-9 unique runner as well as a city that came together to unite against terror. The one-hour special premiered on April 14 on Discovery Life Channel.
Ever since she was 15 years old, Windsor has dreamt of completing the Boston Marathon: “During my first year of cross country, I heard about the Boston Marathon. I was enamored and enthralled by the race,” she said. “It was during that year that I created a list of dreams and goals, and at the top of the list read ‘Run the Boston Marathon.
Windsor made her dream a reality when she crossed the finish line in the 2014 race with a personal best time of 4:43:26, making history as the first person with dwarfism to complete the Boston Marathon.
The documentary was produced by Lorie Conway of Boston Film & Video, David Abel, and Andy Laub of As it Happens TV.
At the screening, as everyone wondered if she would run this year Windsor announced, “I had a lot people ask but this year I’m taking a break because I’m four months pregnant with my first child. But I will be there to cheer everyone on.”