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Bob Woodruff and Wife Pen Recovery Memoir

Journalist Bob Woodruff had reached the top of his profession when his life changed in an instant.

Several weeks after he was named as co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight, Woodruff and his cameraman were gravely injured by a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq.

Thirteen months after the attack, he and his wife, Lee Woodruff, have written In an Instant, a book about his experiences in Iraq and how the couple recovered together.

The narration switches between Woodruff and his wife, who flew to Germany after his injury. Woodruff spent 35 days in a coma.

"It was like being on the other side of the moon, to see my husband's face," says Lee Woodruff.

Despite the crushing injury and months of uncertainty and physical therapy, Woodruff's outlook remains positive.

"He is basically a happy person," Lee Woodruff says of her husband. "I've never heard a moment of bitterness come out of his mouth."

The Woodruffs spoke with Renee Montagne about what life is like after the injury, shifting their priorities and how the experience has changed them.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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