LIMA — Rebekah Gregory has a good idea what the people injured in the Paris terrorist attack will be going through in the months ahead.
She was standing with her family near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, when two bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others. She was one of the 17 who would end up having an amputation, in her case, her left leg.
Gregory will be in Lima on Thursday evening as the featured speaker of the eighth annual Baton Rouge Health Services Foundation Gala.
A simple small-town woman and 26-year-old mother, her life was changed forever in the seconds it took those bombs to explode. It would send her down a path of 35 surgeries, and see her vowing to run.
Rebekah Gregory is a survivor who refuses to be a bitter person.
“Life’s struggles are not only meant to teach us lessons, but make us better versions of ourselves than before,” she said.
She credits the power of music for helping her reclaim her life, which is the scheduled focus of her keynote address.
Baton Rouge also will be handing out its annual Senior Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous winners have been Harry Shutt, Tim DeHaven, Bill Timmermeister and Tom Ahl.
The event will be held at the Old Barn Out Back on West Elm Street. Tickets are $50 with proceeds benefiting the foundation. A silent auction begins at 5:5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Awards and the speaker follow.
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