now one of the seven-
teen amputees from
that day, and sometimes
the bravest thing I can
do is work up the cour-
age to leave my house.
PTSD is a very real thing,
and once you see what
we did, there is no com-
ing back from it. On the
positive side however,
I feel like I have been
given an incredible plat-
form to potentially en-
courage others through
the trials I have faced. I
have realized how pre-
cious life truly is, and I
want other people to be
reminded that no matter
what troubles they are
facing, our blessings far
outweigh our problems.
And speaking of bless-
ings, I have the most
amazing support system
who I owe everything
to. My husband and two
beautiful children keep
me going, and because
of them, giving up will
never be an option.
Q: You’ve written a
memoir in which you
share your story— Taking
My Life Back. Tell us what
that title means and why
you decided to write the
book.
A: The title means every-
thing to me. Taking my
life back is what I feel like
I am choosing to do ev-
ery single day. I am de-
ciding even on hardest
ones to find their beauty
and let my trials make
me stronger. It is not al-
ways the easiest thing to
do, but it is always worth
it. And believe it or not,
writing a book has been
dream of mine since I
was ten years old. I nev-
er imagined that I would
have so many crazy
happenings to fill the
chapters with, but that
is why it has become so
important to share them.
If I can help someone
else by sharing my raw-
est moments, it gives
my journey a little more
purpose.
Q: Your journey began
long before the bomb-
ing on April 15, 2013. Tell
us about your childhood
and some of the chal-
lenges you faced as a
young girl.
A: I grew up in a very
abusive home, where
picking the wrong thing
to eat first on my
dinner plate had the
potential to throw my
biological dad into a
complete tirade. He was
an evangelist and trav-
eled all over the world
preaching, but his family
got to see who he really
was when the church
doors closed. This gave
me a very distorted per-
ception of what chris-
tianity was at a young
age, and even though
my father ended up giv-
ing us up when I was a
teen, the message that
I would never be good
enough, has played
a very prominent role
throughout my life.
Q: Your mom was by
your side nonstop while
you recovered in Bos-
ton. What would you say
is the biggest role that
she’s played in your life?
A: My mom has played
a big role since I was lit-
tle. At one time, she was
probably the only real
reason I even believed
in God. I watched my
mom go through things
no one should ever have
to go through and it
breaks my heart still to
this day. But my mom
has always been there.
So it wasn’t a surprise
that she took on the role
of caretaker throughout
my recovery. She has
always been there to
pick up the pieces, and
I will always be eternally
grateful for the privilege
of being her daughter.
Q: You say your legs pro-
tected your then 5-year-
old son Noah from the
blast of the bomb. How
is he doing? How has the
trauma of the bombing
affected him?
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