London 2012 Olympics: Helping at the Games has exorcised my demons over 7/7, admits doctor

 
6 August 2012

A 7/7 hero who volunteered to become a Games Maker told how working at the Olympics had helped to bring him closure over the terror attacks.

Andrew Hartle, 47, a consultant anaesthetist, is guiding boxing spectators at the ExCeL arena during the Games.

His day job is in the intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where in 2005 he treated dozens of injured people.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Dr Hartle revealed that he had thanked Lord Coe for putting on such a spectacular show when they met on the Central line last week.

“For seven years, I have always inextricably linked the Olympics with that awful day,” he said. “It came so soon after we won the bid. I was very involved with treating the victims. It’s very difficult to describe what happened on 7/7, but I saw a dark side of life that day.”

However, Dr Hartle — one of 70,000 Games Makers — said that his work at the arena had proved “cathartic” and helped to end his Olympic demons.

“I had tears in my eyes during the opening ceremony and I also cried after watching the first boxing bout,” he said. “It is quite emotional to be part of the Olympics.

“It’s very cathartic after what happened during 7/7. Every day I go to work in my kit and everyone on the Tube talks to me and thanks me for what I am doing.”

When he saw Lord Coe get in his Tube carriage at Marble Arch last Monday, he felt he had to thank him. “I asked for his autograph and we chatted all the way to Bank.

“I thought, ‘I’ve had more one to one time with Seb Coe than any journalist this week’.”

Of his meeting with Dr Hartle, Lord Coe said: “That really summed up to me what the volunteers are doing here and that is a conversation I will remember for the rest of my life.” Dr Hartle, who lives in Paddington, said: “I think the Olympics could be life-changing, both for me and the country.

“ Sometimes we can be a bunch of cynics as a nation, but it is really nice to go out and work in such a positive atmosphere.”

Families of those who died during the 7/7 bombings said it was “fantastic” that Dr Bartle was taking part in the Olympics.

Robert Webb, 46, from Cardiff, whose sister Laura, 29, was killed in the Edgware Road bombing, said: “The Olympics are inspiring people to get involved and give something back. I think that’s absolutely fantastic.

“Obviously, what happened after the Olympics were announced was dreadful. But in many respects our Olympics organisation has been mindful of what happened that day and that has made the Games even more inclusive.”

John Taylor, 63, from Billericay, whose daughter Carrie, 24, died in the Aldgate explosion, said: “It’s nice for him to be recognised for what he’s actually done."

Mr Taylor, a security officer, was among the 7/7 family members invited to the opening ceremony. “We went there and enjoyed it. It was recognition of our daughter. The day she died, she was ecstatic about the Olympics being given to London. It was quite emotional.”

Veronica Cassidy, whose son Ciaran, 22, died in the Russell Square blast, said: “It’s excellent that this man has been given recognition by Lord Coe.”

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