READING, Mass. (NewsNation) — This coming Saturday marks 10 years since the deadly Boston Marathon bombing, and one survivor who lost his leg in the attack is now helping other amputees through the recovery process.
JP Norden was at the race in 2013 to support one of his friends who was racing when the bombs went off.
Three people were killed and 264 others were injured when two bombs exploded 12 seconds apart near the finish line.
Norden and his brother both lost a leg in the bombing that day. Now, he and his family are helping other amputees through their foundation, A Leg Forever.
He said that while the bombing changed his life physically, he’s grateful he has been able to help a lot of other people through their foundation and the generosity of others.
People often ask Norden what he thinks about that day, or if he could change it, would he. But he told NewsNation that he doesn’t think he would change anything if he had the chance.
“You know, I think we’re doing so much on being able to help so many people that we just were lucky, you know, we were lucky to be alive,” Norden said. “We lost a few people that day, and other people got very, very badly hurt. So I really feel lucky.”
Norden said he learned a lot about himself during his recovery process. But most importantly to him, he discovered how “wicked strong” of a support system he had.
“My family was unbelievable, my friends. I had people in my hospital room from five in the morning to midnight,” he said. “And also how great Boston was and everybody else. I mean, we had people reach out to us from other countries and students all over the world. It just showed you how good people really are.”
In the early beginning of his recovery, people had asked Norden and his brother if they would speak to other people who had experience accidents and lost limbs.
Norden recalled the very first person he spoke to, a young boy who had lost his leg in a boating accident. He said he didn’t know that this was something he wanted to do until he realized it while talking to the boy.
“When we got hurt, we had veterans and other amputees come in and show us that life would go on,” Norden said. “I didn’t know any amputees at all. So it was very, very different for me. I didn’t even know that I’d be up walking. And then to be able to pay it forward and show someone that they’re going to be able to do the same was very therapeutic for me.”
Now, Norden is able to get involved in trying new legs with new technology that he called “incredible.” Plus, he said he still loves to spectate from the sidelines.
The 127th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday and will feature nearly 30,000 athletes from more than 100 countries, proving that Bostom is still very much “Boston Strong.”