It has been a year since the Boston marathon bombing killed four and injured over 250 runners and bystanders. Since then, the city of Boston has recovered and the lives of individuals hurt by the bombing seem to be improving.
Rebekah Gregory and her husband Pete DiMartino began dating just over a year before they were injured in the 2013 bombing. They were cheering on Pete’s mother when the bombs went off. Rebekah’s recovery was long and painful, and she kept it from the media, having almost broken every bone in her foot, leg, and ankle.
“When the bombing first happened, I was very hesitant to be in the media. In fact, it wasn’t until I got out of the hospital two months later that I agreed to do any interviews at all,” said Rebekah on Facebook. “Not only did I not have the strength or energy…but I also did not want anyone to think that I was trying to get attention.”
She stood on her feet for the first time eight months after the bombing and now she has walked down the aisle of her fairytale wedding this month. Rebekah and Pete aren’t the only Boston Marathon Bombing survivors that got engaged following that tragic day.
Jeff Bauman, the man behind the famous Boston Marathon bombing photo who lost both legs, is now engaged to his girlfriend Erin Hurley. In September, he announced the publishing of his memoir – “Stronger” – about his experiences at and since the marathon.
“The past months have often been difficult,” he said, “but the support I’ve received from around the world, and especially from the people of Boston, has inspired me to set and achieve high goals.”
Jeff and Erin have also posted on his foundation’s Facebook page that they are expecting their first child.
From being wheeled away by a man in a cowboy hat (Carlos Arredondo) to becoming a father and published author, Jeff Bauman’s is one of the few stories taking a turn for the better.
Some survivors see the tragedy as an obstacle to overcome; others see them as a passage in life to help make their dreams a reality.
“I have discovered new doors on how to make [my dream] happen,” Rebekah said on her Facebook page, Rebekah Gregory’s New Day New Hope. “Looking back however, the same doors have always been right in front of me. Unfortunately it just takes bigger things happening sometimes to really do something about them.”
Despite having lost part of her lower left leg last year in the Boston Marathon bombing, professional dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis returns to the stage for the time since the incident at the 2014 TED Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Adrianne’s prosthetic leg was designed by Hugh Herr, Director of Biomechatronics at MIT. Specifically designed for her to start dancing again, she glided across the floor with dance partner Christian Lightner to “Ring My Bells” by Enrique Iglesias.
“I’m thrilled to have danced again,” Adrianne said. “I was always determined to dance again, and I knew that I had to, that I would, and here I am.”
Determination and love are just some of what drives hundreds of Americans. These individuals are a few examples of how to take every obstacle, every problem, and every bad situation to create something beautiful from it.
