A mum who lost her leg in the Boston Marathon which led her to endure 76 gruelling surgeries, continues to lead a positive and upbeat life, and has even named her new prosthetic leg Felicia. In a 'full circle' moment, she will attend this year's Boston Marathon with her children as she watches her husband run the race.
Rebekah Gregory, 35, was standing less than a metre away from a bomb when it went off during the April 2013 race. The mum-of-two was spectating with son, Noah, then five, sitting at her feet after he got bored - but says his position "saved his life” and he got just a few cuts.
Rebekah spent over a year on bed rest. She underwent 27 surgeries before her leg was amputated in November 2014.
She recently had more of her leg removed due to shrapnel still being in her body and won’t be able to walk until March. She had hoped to run in the Boston Marathon, in support of her own charity which helps children and families with PTSD after trauma, but will no longer be able to.
Instead, her husband Chris decided he would run in the race and is now in training. Meanwhile her kids called her "robot mum" thanks for her prosthetic leg.
Rebekah said: “My kids will come and watch Chris race. It’s like we’ve come full circle.”
Rebekah, who said she teaches her children to not live in fear, added: "I want to show people you can have a beautiful life and not let what’s happened to us define it." Rebekah was watching her friend run in April 2013 when two bombs were set off near the finish line by Dzhokahr Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
The terrorist attack killed three spectators and wounded 260 people. The public speaker and founder of Rebekah’s Angels, from Tampa, Florida, US, said: “Noah had got bored so I sat him on my feet to play.
“It saved his life. The bomb went off in a backpack just 3ft behind me, my body shielded Noah where he was sat on my feet.
“I remember my left leg being on fire and I was in a pool of blood. It was a war zone, there were body parts all over the place.
“I’ve had 76 operations and counting but my little boy walked away. I traded my leg and health for his life, and I would do it again.
“When I look back on that day, I still see the horror, but I see so much light too from those who helped. I’m just grateful to wake up every day.”
Rebekah still vividly remembers a bystander rushing to tie a belt as a tourniquet around her leg. Rebekah spent 56 days in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, Massachusetts, US, and over a year on bed rest.
Doctors attempted to save her limb but after 27 surgeries they decided to amputate. “By that point my leg was like a bad boyfriend I’d had enough of,” Rebekah said.
“I had a send-off for it and painted my toenails blue and yellow. Then we had a going away dinner.
“I felt so much relief when it was gone. I thought, 'I’m going to do everything on a fake leg that I couldn’t do or two real ones'.
“I named my new leg Felicia.” Rebekah received her prosthetic leg in January 2015 and started her new life after tying the knot with husband, Chris Varney, 35, the same year.
She was back walking and running within weeks of getting the prosthetic. She has always been honest with her kids about what happened but sometimes struggles with what to say around stranger’s children.
Rebekah said: “I had these triplets come up to me and ask what had happened to my leg. I didn’t want to scare them so, I said, ‘I didn’t eat my vegetables when I was little’.
“I felt bad after because they went as white as a ghost, but their mum was cracking up. I like to find humour in my situation.”
Rebekah has had 76 surgeries since the terrorist attack due to shrapnel remaining in her body that caused nerve damage. Most recently she had to have more of her leg taken off and won’t be able to walk until March.
Rebekah continues to fight on and says she feels “grateful to wake up every day”.
