Brave Boston bombing survivor who is RELIEVED to finally have her leg amputated: Victim left in agony during 18 month fight to save the limb throws it a jokey 'last supper' ahead of surgery

  • Rebekah DiMartino, a married mother, has undergone 17 operations since the April 2013 blast and continues to be in excruciating pain
  • On Monday, she had her left leg removed from below the knee
  • To say goodbye to the leg, she threw a 'left leg last supper' on Sunday 

By Lydia Warren for MailOnline

Published: 11:00 EST, 10 November 2014 | Updated: 04:01 EST, 11 November 2014

A Boston Marathon bombing survivor who has been battling to save her leg for more than 18 months had it amputated on Monday.

Rebekah DiMartino, 27, threw a 'last supper' celebration for her left leg on Sunday before the limb was removed below the knee at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital near Houston, Texas.

'The doctor just came out and said everything went well with surgery,' her husband Pete wrote on Facebook on Monday afternoon. 'Rebekah did splendidly. She will be in hospital a couple days.'

Before the surgery, Rebekah had remained upbeat.

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Still smiling: Rebekah DiMartino, pictured with her husband Pete (right) and other family members before her surgery on Monday, has had her left leg amputated after more than 18 months of trying to save it

Still smiling: Rebekah DiMartino, pictured with her husband Pete (right) and other family members before her surgery on Monday, has had her left leg amputated after more than 18 months of trying to save it

'The fact that I was given a second chance at life that day is something that I will never again take for granted,' DiMartino told NBC before the operation. 'If I have to lose my leg in that process, so be it, because I'm still here.'

DiMartino was with her son Noah, now seven, and then-boyfriend, Pete DiMartino, at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April 2013 when the two bombs detonated, killing three people and injuring 270. 

All three were wounded in the blast but Rebekah suffered the most extensive damage to her left leg.

She has since undergone 17 operations, including putting metal plates, screws and rods in her leg, and suffered a serious bone infection.

Although she has been confined to bedrest or a wheelchair for much of the time since the bombings, she was able to walk down the aisle on crutches when she married Pete last year. 

Still, even a boot has not helped her gain strength or ease the pain in the leg, and before the operation, she said that finally losing it will be 'such a relief'.  

Injuries: Ahead of the surgery, she shared this image, left, showing her saying goodbye to the leg. Since the bombing, she has undergone 17 operations, including having pins put in her leg, right

Saying goodbye: She posted this farewell note to her left leg on her Facebook page on Sunday

Saying goodbye: She posted this farewell note to her left leg on her Facebook page on Sunday

'There is so much I could say about what I am feeling at this exact moment,' she wrote on her Facebook page.

I've never been an outdoors person, but now I want to climb mountains. I still have a lot of living left to do

'Am I scared? Yes. Am I sad that all our efforts for the last 18 months have failed? Absolutely. But beyond the fear and sadness there is something that surpasses it all....relief. 

'I am relieved to know that this is a step forward, when I have been in limbo for so long. I am relieved that my family will no longer have to live in anticipation and worry, of what the future will hold for me.

'I am relieved that I will FINALLY be able to start the process of a FULL recovery. And I am even more relieved that I will finally just get to be Rebekah again.'

She continued: 'Monday is the day that my new life begins. And I am SO excited to see what it holds.'

Staying strong: The couple are pictured together before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in May. She has spent much time in a wheelchair or on bedrest

Staying strong: The couple are pictured together before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in May. She has spent much time in a wheelchair or on bedrest

Excitement: She said that her seven-year-old son Noah, pictured, is excited to have a 'part robot mom'

Excitement: She said that her seven-year-old son Noah, pictured, is excited to have a 'part robot mom'

She said her seven-year-old son has long been upset about her potentially losing her leg, but last week, after asking her a lot of questions about her operation, that changed.

'With the biggest smile on his face he shouted "that's so cool! I'm gonna have a part robot mom!"' she wrote on her Facebook page.

Her doctors say they are hopeful that she could be taking her first steps in three months.

'I think that with that kind of attitude and drive that she'll actually do very, very well,' Dr. Bill McGarvey said. 'If we can get rid of the pain for her, I have no doubt that she's going to be successful.'

Rebekah is now hoping to compete in next year's Boston Marathon and to complete a triathlon, she told NBC. 

By her side: Rebekah is pictured with Pete, whom she married in April this year - a year after the bombings

By her side: Rebekah is pictured with Pete, whom she married in April this year - a year after the bombings

'I've never been a runner, an outdoors person, but now I want to climb mountains, I want to run marathons,' she said. 'I still have a lot of living left to do.'

She is also now starting to do motivational speaking and has moved to Richmond, Texas with her son and new husband. 

She has been sharing updates on her support page, Rebekah Gregory's New Day New Hope.

'Thank you to everyone who has continued to support me on this crazy journey,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Monday and every day I will continue to be...BOSTON STRONG.' 

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