Our dog helped us get over bomb
Acouple who both lost legs in the Boston Marathon bombing have written a moving children’s book about the assistance dog that helped rebuild their shattered lives.
Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes drew on their emotional experiences of learning to walk again with the support of aptly named pooch Rescue.
Their picture book starring the black lab was written during two years of rehab, and is out this week on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the terror attack which killed three people and injured 264.
Patrick, 34, said: “Kids’ eyes go pop because we have three prosthetic legs and a beautiful dog with a bright red cape on.
“But instead of seeing us as disabled and weak, they see us as superheroes.”
The couple from Cambridge, Massachusetts, were standing near the finish line when two DIY bombs exploded. They both lost their left legs below the knee in the blast on April 15, 2013 and suffered head and eye injuries, perforated ear drums and psychological trauma.
Jessica had damage to her right heel, which led to another amputation in 2015.
She was given service dog Rescue six months after the attack, to help with daily tasks like fetching things and opening doors. Jessica, 37, said: “But we discovered he gave us a happier focus. He needed to be taken for walks when our mobility wasn’t easy. It forced us to get off the couch – it made us take care of ourselves.”
They wrote their book while undergoing gruelling treatment at a military rehab centre in Washington DC. The story is based around a girl who loses both legs and has to learn to walk again.
Patrick said: “We hope that children will see themselves in this book and it offers them a powerful message that life can go on, particularly if you have a loyal companion by your side like Rescue.”