Heather Abbott is one of the 17 Boston Marathon Bombing survivors who became amputees. She spoke Nov. 2 at Pruis Hall as part of the Excellence in Leadership speaker series.
On April 15, 2013, Abbott and her friends went to a Boston Red Sox game before heading out to watch runners finish the 117th Boston Marathon. It was a tradition for the group — one they always did on Marathon Day.
After standing next to the finish line for just 21 seconds, the first bomb went off. When the second detonated, Abott was sent flying through the doors of the restaurant behind her.
“I had no idea what was going on,” Abbott said. “It felt like something bad, it felt like we were under attack.”
What Abbott did know after the bombing was that something was wrong with her leg. Doctors attempted to salvage her limb with several surgeries, but eventually, they recommended amputation. Abbott found herself in the “minority” among amputees, most being men older than 50 who had lost their limbs from diseases like diabetes, she said.
Abbot has since started her own foundation, in addition to counseling other amputees. The Heather Abbott Foundation focuses on providing prosthetic limbs to people who have lost theirs in traumatic experiences. Abbott said that most basic prosthetic legs last three to five years, before getting worn down and in need of replacement. Other prosthetics, like Abbot’s (which allows her to wear high heels, run and swim), can cost as much as $70,000. The foundation has given away one prosthetic leg so far and is set to provide its second to a young girl who wants to play soccer.