After multiple surgeries since being seriously injured at the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, Heather Abbott was faced with a choice. She either could try and save her badly mangled foot or amputate her leg below the knee. She chose the latter because she knew that her foot was unlikely to ever again be functional, and that her leg would be shorter than the other.
She spoke from her hospital bed at a news conference at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
"I wouldn't be able to live the lifestyle I did prior to the injury," Abbott said. "Although the prosthetic is going to be something to get used to, I think it's a better chance of living my life the way I used to."
One of the physicians asked her what she liked to do in her free time. She replied that she enjoys running, Zumba classes and aerobics. Abbott, who works for Raytheon Co. in Portsmouth Rhode Island, also said her doctors insisted that she will be able to try yoga paddle-boarding in the near future.
"I was kind of disappointed I wouldn't be able to do that this year," Abbott said.
"You'll be doing it next year, don't worry," her physician reassured her, she recalled.
In describing what happened to her on the day of the bombings, she said that she and her two friends had just arrived at the Forum bar on Boylston St. and were waiting in line when she heard the first explosion near the finish line. The impact of the blast violently impacted everyone near her. She "was on the ground, everyone was running to the back of the bar to the exit. I felt like my foot as on fire and I knew I couldn't stand up."
Nearly two weeks after the bombings, which killed three and hospitalized over 200, Abbott retains a positive outlook, a credit she says stems from her friends and family's support.
"It's a life-altering experience and if I didn't have the support system and family and friends that I do, I think I would be devastated," Abbott said.
"It's so hard for me to focus on anything negative because they are always around."
