Boston Marathon Victim Walks Again

Jury selection begins Monday for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of setting off bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and hundreds more injured.

Rebekah DiMartino, a survivor of the bombings, took her first steps on Wednesday in Texas by way of a new prosthetic limb, NECN reported.

DiMartino, who was just feet away from the finish line as the two bombs exploded, had her left leg amputated in November after 18 months and 17 surgeries.

“The day that I made the decision to chop it off is the best thing I have ever done for myself,” the 27-year-old said to Houston news station KHOU 11. “I was letting go of what was holding me back.”

Rather than being haunted by the 2013 tragedy, DiMartino aims to move on by running in the 2015 Boston Marathon this April, according to the New York Daily News. Her mother, Tina Gregory, embroidered the word “Blessed” on a fabric to go on Rebekah’s new leg. The purple text design is a reminder of what she has overcome.

DiMartino, a newlywed and mother to a 7-year-old boy, aims to carry her triumph through 2015 and for the rest of her life.

“Now there’s no stopping,” she said.

Watch the KHOU video below:

Image via Rebekah Gregory DiMartino’s New Day New Hope Facebook page