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New Rochelle Teacher Co-Authors Book On Determination

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- A New Rochelle teacher and a former Fairfield University have co-authored a book about a young adult who refused to quit as he tackled a seemingly insurmountable bacterial infection.

Andrew Chapin, a teacher at Thornton Donovan School in New Rochelle, and Milford's John Tartaglio are the the co-authors of "From Tragedy To Triumph". The book is available from online booksellers.

 In 24 hours, a rare bacterial infection turned a healthy Tartaglio, then 17, to a double-leg amputee. Fifteen hours and 59 minutes is all that it took for him to reclaim the life that he had left behind.

Told he would never walk again, Tartaglio did what leading health professionals and prosthetic specialists alike said could never be done.

He would go on to compete in 5K and 10K running competitions, as well as triathlons and even a 70.3 mile half ironman, becoming the first bilateral hip disarticulate ever to complete these events. These prepared him for his greatest challenge outside of survival – the New York City Marathon.

In facing the unknown illness that took his limbs, Tartaglio transcended his disability, showing the world that “How far you fall does not determine who you are; it’s how hard you work to get back up.”

A 2009 graduate of Fairfield University, Tartaglio will be an MBA graduate from the University of Connecticut this year. His mission is to inspire people to pursue what they value and, in doing so, allow them to see that they can achieve anything they want.

His co-author is Chapin, a middle school English teacher at Thornton-Donovan School in New Rochelle who  majored in English and graduated from Fairfield University in 2009. Chapin recently completed his Masters degree in adolescent English education at Iona College. 

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