For former teacher Billy Keenan, life had always been about action. He had served in the Army. He mastered musical instruments including the flute, guitar, bass guitar and piano. As a competitive triathlete and surfer, he completed numerous 5K, 10K and half-marathon runs. 'I was at the peak of my powers,' he said. But on Sept. 14, 2013, his life changed in an instant while surfing at the Jersey Shore.
As a former Army lieutenant and paratrooper, he realized he had been accustomed to what he called 'deliberate discomfort.''I was challenging myself, but positively, when times were good, never knowing that I would need those times — that evidence of resilience — when everything went wrong,' Keenan told CBS News. 'My experience as a soldier and then my experience as a dad.'Drawing on his own faith and that reminder from McDonald, Keenan overcame the odds.