Rebekah DiMartino underwent 17 surgeries in more than 18 months since the 2013 Boston Marathon to try to save her left leg that was injured in the bombings.
On Monday, she underwent another surgery, amputating the leg below the knee.
“The fact that I was given a second chance at life that day is something that I will never again take for granted,” DiMartino, 27, told NBC News before the surgery. “If I have to lose my leg in that process, so be it, because I’m still here.”
DiMartino was among more than 250 people injured when two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the Boston Marathon finish line during the race on April 15, 2013. She was a spectator along Boylston Street.
She became at least the 17th person to lose a leg due to the attack, according to the Boston Globe.
DiMartino’s decision to amputate the leg came after time in a boot and a wheelchair, with limited walking ability and constant pain.
“Even though my leg is being chopped off, and I won’t be able to walk for a while, it’s still a step forward to me,” she told NBC News. “This is a new beginning for me.
“It’s OK. It really just is a leg.”
She hopes to participate in next year’s Boston Marathon with her new prosthesis.
DiMartino posted a break-up note with her leg before the surgery, as well as images from the leg’s last day on Facebook.
