Boston Bombing Amputee Races for Autism
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Mary Daniel lost her leg in the Boston Marathon bombing five months ago. (Image credit: WCBV)(BOSTON) — Mery Daniel lost her leg in the Boston Marathon bombing five months ago, but that won’t stop her from racing for a good cause.
“Sunday’s not going to be about me,” Daniel, 31, told ABC News affiliate WCVB. “It’s going to be about autism.”
Doctors had to amputate Daniel’s leg above the knee last spring, so she’ll be hand-cycling alongside runners and walkers during a 5K on Oct. 5 to benefit the Charles River Center in Needham, Mass., a nonprofit organization that aids adults and children with developmental disabilities. Her husband, Richardson, works with autistic adults.
But it’s not Daniel’s first race since she lost her leg. The Haitian native hand-cycled 27 miles earlier this month in the Ride 2 Recovery race to benefit wounded veterans.
Daniel, who uses a prosthetic leg, told WCVB that cycling was one of the ways she’s learning to “get her power back” after the bombing.
“It kind of teaches you about endurance and strength and perseverance,” she said. “I didn’t want to give up in the middle of the hill. So I have to keep moving forward.”
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