HUB REMEMBERS WITH A DAY OF GIVING BACK
Little by little over the past five years, the trauma wrought by the twin bomb blasts on Boylston Street started to feel more like the past than the present for Heather Abbott.
The explosion outside the Forum Restaurant took her left leg from the knee down, but Abbott, 43, said accepting that she couldn’t erase the attack’s impact on her life helped her leave it behind.
“The first thing that helped me move forward was coming to terms with the fact that I couldn’t change what happened,” Abbott said. “Figuring out how to move on and live the best life I could with the circumstances was the first step in moving forward.”
Abbott found she could confide in other amputees who understood that day five years ago. She launched the Heather Abbott Foundation to help people pay for prosthetics, and she gives speeches on overcoming adversity, how her life has changed and obstacles for amputees.
But without fail, she’s called back to April 15, 2013.
“Often people are very interested in hearing the details of that day,” she said. “It’s fascinating and everyone remembers what they were doing in that moment. That can be difficult. I like to focus on
the present and the future. I understand why people want to go back to that, but that’s not my favorite part of public speaking.”
Abbott’s foundation will be hosting its weekend fundraising event to help amputees get customized prosthetics this afternoon during One Boston Day, a day established to honor those affected by the bombings with acts of community service.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh reflected on the importance of the day yesterday afternoon and said he is looking forward to volunteering with the Martin Richard Foundation in Dorchester.
“The families that lost loved ones and were hurting that day, I think about them ever single year,” Walsh said, “about what they went through on that day and I think about what’s going through their mind.
“We are a city that rises up and helps people in their time of need,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough day for people in a lot of ways, but again these families are all taking part in One Boston Day and are giving back, so it’s incredible.”
Gov. Charlie Baker said the marathon itself has taken on a new meaning since the bombings five years ago, a day that “showed Boston at its best.”
“I think the best part about it is that people have come up with some very tasteful and, I think, poignant ways to honor and remember those who were lost,” he said.