Survivor Who Lost Her Leg In Boston Bombing Triumphantly Crosses Marathon Finish Line

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At 2:49 p.m. on April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs erupted at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Within 12 long seconds, these hideous acts of terror would kill three innocent people and would permanently alter the lives of 264 others. The life of one of the survivors, Rebekeh Gregory, may have been irreversibly changed, but it has not stopped her from living.

Rebekah lost her leg on that fateful day, but has made a brave recovery.

Last month, Rebekah wrote a profound letter to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the men that took her leg away. She emotionally explained how he robbed her of a leg, but he was no where near able to take her spirit. Tsarnaev was convicted on 30 counts related to the bombing on April 8th.

On April 15th, Rebekah wrote a stirring piece on her Facebook about her feelings of returning to marathon.

It is extremely emotional to look back on the last two years of my life. To remember what it felt like to be bleeding…

Posted by Rebekah Gregory DiMartino's New Day New Hope on Wednesday, April 15, 2015

It is extremely emotional to look back on the last two years of my life. To remember what it felt like to be bleeding out on the pavement, wondering if I would ever see my child’s smile again. In a matter of minutes, my entire world changed. Everything I knew was literally blown to pieces, and I was forced to start picking them up one by one.

It’s been a long road. Some days, I’m not quite sure how I have made it out of the bed. And if I’m being really honest, a few times I haven’t. But no matter what, there is one thing that I always keep in mind. I am BLESSED. And no matter how hard someone tries, they will never be able to take that away from me.

A few days from now I will be going back to that same pavement on Boylston Street. The pavement where I thought for sure I would die, and the pavement a year ago, I was pushed around on in a wheelchair at the 1k Tribute Walk. But guess what? This time I won’t be laying on the ground in pieces, or having to be assisted because I can’t do things on my own.

This time…the only thing hitting the ground will be my running shoe, as I show myself and the rest of the world that I am back, stronger than ever….and there is NO stopping me now.

Boston I’ll see you soon.

On Monday morning, Rebekah posted a photo on Instagram of herself in her running gear with the caption, “I’m ready.”

Despite the excruciating pain she was in, suffering a twisted knee and battling the cold weather that was taxing on even veteran runners, she prevailed. She started to run at mile 23 and triumphantly completed the race. After crossing the finish line, she fell to the ground in a whirlwind of emotions.

She posted a photo with a quote from the Bible, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7

It was quite the accomplishment for Boston Bombing survivor and an inspiration to all.

“Just to know that I was crossing the finish line on my own foot and I wasn’t in a wheelchair like last year and I wasn’t laying on the pavement fighting for my life like the year before,” Rebekah said in an interview to ABC News. “I’ve come a long way and I’m just going to keep going because there’s no stopping me.”

“I dedicated my miles to the people that mean the most to me in my life,” she said.

Rebekah eloquently added that she was “running for everyone – for the lives lost that day, for the families and the survivors and essentially for America.”

[ABCNews]