Heather Abbott opens up about trial and new foundation
By: Alexandra Cowley
She’s become the face of fighting back. The blonde beauty who swore she’d wear high heels again after the second bomb at the Boston Marathon took her left leg below the knee. Newport native Heather Abbott shares what the trial has been like for her and how this entire experience, while horrific, has helped her find what she was meant to do.
“It has little veins and my other one has a mole somewhere on it,” Abbott laughs as she takes off her shoe to reveal her prosthetic. You can barely tell which foot is hers. It helps that she wears it with absolute confidence and pride.
“I used to do Zumba and I haven’t gone back to it yet, but I will,” she promised.
It’s how Heather approaches everything since the 2013 Marathon bombings changed her life. The attitude of “I Can” and “I Will.”
That was the attitude she had going into the death penalty trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. But, it was something she couldn’t prepare for.
“It’s been a little bit more difficult than I expected it to be. It really brought me back to that day for them and having to hear all the details about what happened to them was difficult,” she said.
Heather wasn’t in B
“I’m happy that there was a guilty verdict and whether he spends life in prison or is subject to the death penalty, it doesn’t really make a difference to me,” she explained.
What matters to Heather these days is making a difference in the lives of others like herself. Through the traumatic experience of the bombings, she’s met wonderful people and learned not all amputees are as fortunate as she was with The One Fund.
“What did I think about amputees before, I guess I just assumed they got a leg and that was it. But that is not the case. They are extremely expensive. There are different types of devices needed for different activities so you need a different one to run in, or bike in, or swimming, or wearing high heels,” she smiled.
She decided to start The Heather Abbott Foundation so she can help others who’ve lost limbs get the prostheses they need to live the life they want. It’s become a dream of hers, one she didn’t plan on, but is tackling head on.
“I have some high hopes for the foundation,” Heather said with a big smile.
The launch party for the Heather Abbott Foundation is the day before Marathon Monday, Sunday April 19th. It’s being held at Towne Stove and Spirits near the finish line.
For Information on the event and how you can donate click here: https://www.heatherabbottfoundation.org/
(C) WLNE-TV 2015
