BONDED BY THE BOMB THE BOMB
Lisa Bridgett, 47, was picking up her daughter Ashleigh, now 20, from the Ariana Grande concert when Salman Abedi detonated his suicide device just 5m away.
The blast, on May 22, 2017, killed 22 people and left hundreds injured and traumatised.
Lisa’s mobile phone saved her life by absorbing the impact of a steel nut from the bomb.
But she lost a finger and suffered face and leg injuries.
Now she has spoken out about her lasting friendship with Valerie Carr, the medic who first treated her and took her to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
She has even repaid Val’s kindness in turn – by helping her get over coronavirus.
Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of the attack this week, Lisa said: “My injuries, the regular flashbacks and anxiety attacks never let me forget the horror of that night.
“But my family and Val have carried me through and we now have a bond for life. She held my hand in the ambulance telling me it was all going to be OK and she stayed with me at the hospital.
“In the days after the attack, Val read about me and made contact with me via Facebook but we never met up.
“It was only when I was at the Trafford Centre Christmas shopping with my husband Steve that year that I spotted Val taking part in an ambulance service display.
“I went over to her and said, ‘It’s me, Lisa’, and we burst into tears.”
Since reuniting that day Lisa and Val, who was an Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT), have spoken regularly. They took part in the 10k Great Manchester Run last year and Lisa was a VIP guest at Val’s wedding on a Greek island in September.
Lisa said: “When she told me she was getting married in Santorini to Dave, who is also an EMT, I screamed with delight. She showed me her wedding ring and it had 23 diamonds – one for each of those who died and one for me.
“At the reception, Val led me onto the dancefloor and the DJ played Survivor by Destiny’s Child which was very fitting.”
Val, 58, who has since retired from the North West Ambulance Service, said it was “very rare” to become friends with a former patient. She said: “I call Lisa an ‘earthly angel’ because, by rights, she shouldn’t be here, but thank God she is.
“She was the most amazing support when I got Covid-19 recently and kept calling to see how I was.”
Lisa has still not settled a compensation claim for her injuries and is not currently working at her family boat business near Abersoch, North Wales due to the lockdown.
But she plans a reunion with Val soon, saying: “I would never want to lose her as a friend.”