7/7 bomb victim returns to thank those who saved her life

Last updated at 13:51 06 July 2007

Gill Hicks, one of the most seriously injured victims of the 7/7 bombings, has made an emotional return to hospital to thank the staff who saved her life.

Ms Hicks, 39, was close to death when she was taken to St Thomas' Hospital after being blown up on the Piccadilly line at Russell Square.

The last person pulled out of the Tube train alive, she lost both legs.

But she went on to make a remarkable recovery, her story becoming a symbol of the defiance shown by survivors in the face of the worst terrorist atrocity on British soil.

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Just a few months after the bombings in December 2005, she overcame her injuries to walk up the aisle to marry her fiancé Joe Kerr.

On the eve of the second anniversary, Ms Hicks returned to the hospital to meet some of the people involved in her treatment.

"I will never stop saying thank you to the staff of St Thomas' and the emergency services for saving my life that day," Ms Hicks said.

"I was admitted to hospital labelled 'one unknown'... it didn't matter who I was, or what my background or religious belief or faith were, as the staff treasured me as a human life that was in desperate need of being saved.

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"They never gave up hope that I would pull through and gave me the best possible chance to rebuild my life and go on to find my own way.

"Only because of their amazing efforts that day am I now able to fulfil my personal ambition, which is to further peace and improve understanding between all peoples."

Ms Hicks is now an ambassador for Peace Direct, a charity that supports and funds local peace builders throughout the world, and also works with many organisations across London to foster better community relations.

At yesterday's reunion, staff threw a tea party for Ms Hicks while she presented them with a cheque for £13,000.

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Among those present were the surgeons, doctors, nurses and physiotherapists who treated her. Ms Hicks and husband Joe were also greeted by nurses from Luke ward, where she spent three months recuperating.

Also there were staff from the therapy department, who helped her to learn to walk again after she was fitted with two prosthetic legs.

Emma Allcott, a sister on Luke ward, said: "Gill has been an inspiration to us all. Not only did she show remarkable determination in the face of such adversity, but she was always such a positive and uplifting person to care for.

"Her dry Aussie sense of humour really carried us through the darker moments.

"Through such horrific circumstances, many of us have built amazing new friendships which continue to be a huge source of strength for us all."

Ms Hicks, originally from Australia but who has lived in Britain for 10 years, was standing only a few feet away from suicide bomber Jermaine Lindsay when he detonated his bomb, killing himself and 26 people and severely injuring dozens of others.

Amid the carnage, she used a scarf as a tourniquet on her mangled legs before being pulled from the wreckage.