TAMPA, Fla. — For over the last six years, Tampa Bay 28 anchor Wendy Ryan has covered mental health, searching for stories of hope and resilience after trauma.
13 years ago, a mom’s life was shattered in the Boston Marathon bombing.
WATCH: Boston Marathon bombing survivor helps others facing trauma through nonprofit
After 76 surgeries, her healing continues, but the deepest wounds are emotional. Through pain, she found strength, and now she helps others heal by offering free trauma therapy and inspiring connections.
“I wake up every day, and I have to make a decision that I'm going to count my blessings and not my problems. I'm in constant pain,” said Rebekah Gregory.
Gregory remembers the horror of the Boston Marathon bombing. She and her son, Noah, were cheering at the finish line when suddenly, explosions erupted just feet away.
“I could only move my head. My bones were lying next to me on the sidewalk. I looked down, my left leg was on fire. I was in a pool of my own blood. And all of these nails and ball bearings and BB's and everything these brothers packed into these pressure-cooker bombs, you know, including other people's body parts, were not even attached to them anymore. It was, it was a true war scene,” explained Gregory.
In that moment, her thoughts turned to her five-year-old son Noah, who’d been playing on the ground seconds before the blast went off.
“One of the many blessings in my story was that he was in the arms of a police officer! And so, I knew laying there that he was going to be okay. I wasn't sure that I was at the moment, and if I had been on the ground for just a few minutes longer, I would have lost my life on that street,” said Gregory.
Both were rushed to a trauma hospital. Noah was spared physical injury, but Gregory says the trauma left deep emotional scars. The fear never left him.
“He didn't want to go back to school. He didn't want to get on his bike. He didn't really want to interact with the world. And he told me, when I was being wheeled into the house, he said, 'Don't worry, Mom, we're never leaving this house again.' And that was the moment that I knew that my son's innocence was stripped away from him,” explained Gregory.
But Gregory refused to give up for her and her son. She said she endured 76 surgeries and continued to power through.
“No matter how long it took me to be pieced back together, I was going to do it. And so for me, that was a year and a half of constant surgery. They were able to save my right leg, and they were able to save my left hand. And unfortunately, I was not able to save my left leg. And so, they amputated about 18 months after, below the knee,” said Gregory.
Gregory never forgets those who saved her life.
“The people that had just finished running 26.2 miles, the first responders, the innocent civilians, and they all rushed to get us off the street and into nearby trauma hospitals. And they're the reason that I can sit and tell my story today,” said Gregory.
To honor them, she created “Rebekah’s Angels,” a nonprofit dedicated to helping others facing trauma.
“We're just so thankful for the people that have stood beside us and the people that are coming beside us now to believe in our work. This is not something I do for a paycheck. My husband and I started this, and neither one of us takes a pay from it because this is my way to truly give back everything that I've been given,” said Gregory.
Rebekah’s Angels began funding trauma therapy for children and families and soon offered even more.
“And now, we do trauma relief grants, where we're able to show up at someone's most vulnerable time, you know, in the hospital, to provide some financial relief or something like that. And we also do our angel missions in our van just as a way to spread that around our community, hope and love and support,” said Gregory.
Years later, Gregory was hospitalized again, and her nurses asked if she’d help a young woman in crisis.
“They came in my room and said Rebekah, now might not be the best time, but we have a young woman down the hall who has just been through a very traumatic car accident and has lost both of her legs! And she could really use someone like you right now,” explained Gregory.
That young woman, 18-year-old Alexis Gould, said she was going over 75 miles per hour when she crashed her car. She told Ryan she was intoxicated and remembers almost nothing from that night except waking up to a new reality.
“My ribs broke, my pelvis broke, my sternum broke, and then I kind of just slid out from the seat belt,” said Gould.
She slid out because the floorboard ripped away, the engine exploded, burning her body, and her legs were caught under the car.
Gould wishes she would have listened to her parents’ warnings.
“I had a very strong voice in my head saying, You need to stop that, you're going to die. You're going to kill yourself somehow. And yeah, I basically almost did,” said Gould.
Now Gould is grateful because Rebekah’s Angels lifted her up, covering medical bills and trauma therapy.
“I just have so much gratitude towards Rebekah's Angels. If I didn't have them, I honestly don't think I'd be sitting here today. I really don't, and it's hard to admit that. But without her help, without her organization being right behind me, supporting me through everything, I don't think I'd be here,” Gould.
Their special bond means everything to Gregory.
“I'm so proud of her, and that's what Rebekah's Angel stands for. It's not, you know, just giving someone temporary relief. It's really walking alongside them so that we can have moments like this,” said Gregory.
Gregory has changed many lives, and even her van carries messages of hope.
“Every person knows what it's like when life blows up in their face. And so, if we can be that lifeline for someone or our van, you know, the back of it says, if you needed a sign to keep going, this is your sign! Then we want to do that in any way possible,” explained Gregory.
Every year, Gregory and her family return to the Boston Marathon, standing in the very spot where the bombs went off, teaching her children, “Evil didn’t win that day!”
This year, on April 20, Rebekah’s Angels is the official charity of the Boston Athletic Association at the marathon. 12 runners are raising money, crossing the finish line for Rebekah’s Angels.
You can learn more about Rebekah’s Angels here.
Share Your Story with Wendy
Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Wendy Ryan is dedicated to helping our neighbors navigate the important topic of mental health. For years, she’s been connecting people to resources, listening to their challenges, and sharing their stories to decrease the stigma. You can connect with Wendy by using the form below.
.
Wiregrass Elementary staff report injuries, Pasco County Schools investigates
Pasco County Schools is investigating Wiregrass Elementary after teachers and staff reported on-the-job injuries and a lack of administrative support.
