Two weeks after Brussels attack, Sebastien Bellin on the road to recovery

Two weeks after Brussels attack, Sebastien Bellin on the road to recovery
Sebastien Bellin recovery
Former OU basketball player Sebastien Bellin is recovering from injuries sustained in the March 22 terrorist attacks in Brussels.

Former Oakland University men’s basketball player Sebastien Bellin gave GoldenGrizzlies.com an exclusive update after he suffered injuries in the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium on March 22. 

 

Bellin, who resides in Battle Creek, Mich. and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Belgium, has begun rehabilitation in Brussels, which could take up to six to eight weeks. He agreed to provide periodic updates throughout his recovery.

 

“I am extremely motivated to make a full comeback and become even stronger,” said Bellin. “But it’s going to take time.”

 

Bellin was sent approximately 60 feet through the air after a bomb went off in the Brussels airport. There was a photo taken of him lying on the floor and his legs bleeding from shrapnel that shattered his hip, and struck both his legs. Once that happened, he was unsure of what the future would hold.

 

“I have been through four surgeries already, and never thought I’d be this lucky,” said Bellin. “When I was in the ambulance and knew I was going to make it, I began to think about my legs and if I was going to lose them, or just one. I thought I could handle having just one prosthetic leg, but not two. But, I knew being alive was the most important thing. Now, to hear that I will walk again and have both my legs, I feel extremely blessed.”

 

Bellin will go through another surgery on April 12, which will include skin grafts on both legs. He said he will most likely be in Brussels doing rehab for the next month-and-a-half, but his family has been with him.

 

“My Dad, stepmother, and two brothers were here until Monday (April 4) and my wife, Sara, will be here until Saturday (April 10).”

 

“There are a lot of unknowns with my rehab and what could happen with my long-term physical state,” said Bellin. “Being a basketball player has given me the tools to get through anything and I believe that this is what helped me make it through this tragedy. I am very thankful to my entire family, friends and Oakland family for the support. You just don’t know how everything is going to turn out.”

 

Bellin attended Oakland University from 1998-2000 and helped the Golden Grizzlies win a Mid-Continent Conference Men’s Basketball Championship during their first year of Division I competition in 1999-2000. He went on to play professional basketball overseas from 2000-2015, winning a Belgian league championship in 2007 and two Belgian cup titles in 2008 and 2011. Bellin served as the captain of the Belgian National Team for five seasons.