SALT LAKE CITY — Richard Norby is home.
On Tuesday, after 64 days spent in hospitals on two continents recovering from shrapnel wounds and burns he sustained in the Brussels airport terrorist attack in March, Norby left the University of Utah Medical Center and returned to his home in Lehi.
Norby, 66, was one four Mormon missionaries wounded in the airport bombing and the last released from hospital care. The two bombs pelted him with shrapnel, broke his left leg and burned 35 percent of his body.
The Norby family called his return home "an absolute miracle" in a Facebook post. "He and our mother are now creating a new version of normal life for themselves" that includes daily care for his leg wounds as well as physical and occupational therapy sessions.
"He still has significant shrapnel wounds to his legs that require attention," his family reported. "His burns and broken left leg are healing as expected. Emotional and physical healing are their priority and they look forward to what they will learn along the way. The road to recovery remains long, but manageable."
Each of the four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suffered serious burns and shrapnel injuries in the March 22 bombing, but none as severe as Norby's.
Joseph Dresden Empey, 20, spent about two weeks in hospitals before he returned home to Santa Clara, Utah. Sister Fanny Clain, 20, spent more than three weeks in Belgian hospitals. Mason Wells, 19, returned home to Sandy, Utah, after more than five weeks and multiple surgeries in Belgian and Utah hospitals.
Norby was serving in the Brussels area on a mission with his wife, Pam. All of the missionaries involved had been serving in the church's France Paris Mission.
The Norbys again expressed gratitude for prayers on their behalf.
"Our family has been comforted and blessed with peace during this wonderfully trying time. Most importantly, Richard and Pam as well as the Norby family would like to express our sincere thanks to a loving Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. God lives. He loves his children and knows each of our needs. While we don’t always understand his purposes for us in this life, we trust that he knows best and understand the important refining process of trials."
Norby is exhausted and is not prepared to give interviews or have visitors, the family said.
Norby picked up Empey, Wells and Clain on March 22 to drive them to the airport where Clain was scheduled to catch a flight to the United States to continue her missionary work. The Frenchwoman had been serving in the France Paris Mission for four months while waiting for a visa so she could travel to her assignment in Ohio.
They were standing together in the Brussels-Zaventem airport when the first bomb exploded.
Norby called his wife and told her he had a broken leg but was OK, unaware of the full extent of injuries which required doctors to place him in a medically induced coma for five days.
Email: twalch@deseretnews.com