Surat Menggetarkan Survivor Rebekah Gregory pada Pelaku Bom Boston

Boston - Sidang terdakwa bom maraton Boston, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, menghadirkan salah seorang saksi yang juga korban, Rebekah Gregory. Setelah sidang, dia membuat sebuah surat yang menggetarkan hingga jadi perbincangan hangat di media sosial.

Saat bersaksi, Gregory bercerita soal peristiwa memilukan yang terjadi pada 15 April 2013 tersebut. Kala itu, anaknya yang masih berusia 5 tahun, tidak terlalu memperhatikan para pelari, namun bermain batu di jalanan dan bergaya seperti peneliti. Blarr! Terjadiah ledakan.

"Insting pertama saya waktu sebagai ibu adalah di mana anak saya," ucap Gregory dalam persidangan seperti dikutip dari CNN, Kamis (5/3/2015).

Gregory tak bisa melihat kakinya. Namun dia sempat melihat ada sebuah tulang yang tercecer di jalanan. "Pada hari itu, saya hanya berpikir mungkin itu hari kematian saya," ucapnya.

Setelah itu, anaknya Noah mulai memanggil namanya. Keduanya lalu dibawa ke rumah sakit dan Gregory harus diamputasi.

Dalam persidangan yang emosional itu, hadir juga para korban selamat lainnya. Cerita mereka hampir sama, terutama soal peristiwa yang membunuh 3 orang dan membuat 264 orang luka-luka tersebut.

Usai persidangan, Gregory menulis surat terbuka pada sang terdakwa pengeboman Tsarnaev. Dia menceritakan bagaimana peristiwa itu mempengaruhi hidupnya, dan sempat membuat trauma. Namun, kini setelah dua tahun, dia bisa 'hidup' meski hanya dengan satu kaki.

Berikut surat Gregory yang menggetarkan itu, seperti dikutip dari laman facebooknya:

Dear Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,

My name is Rebekah Gregory. We don't really know each other and never will. But over the last two years, I have seen your face not only in pictures, but in almost every one of my nightmares. Moments before the first blast, your stupid backpack even brushed up against my arm, but I doubt you remember because I am no one to you. A complete stranger. And although I was merely just a blip on your radar, (someone that happened to be standing 3 feet from your designated "good spot" for a bomb), you have been so much more to me. Because you have undoubtedly been my source of fear since April 15th, 2013. (After all, you are one of the men responsible for nearly taking my child, and for the permanent image embedded in my brain of watching someone die.) Up until now, I have been truly scared of you and because of this, fearful of everything else people might be capable of.

But today, all that changed. Because this afternoon, I got to walk into a courtroom and take my place at the witness stand, just a few feet away from where you were sitting. (I was WALKING. Did you get that?) And today I explained all the horrific details, of how you changed my life, to the people that literally hold YOURS in their hands. That's a little scary right? And this afternoon before going in, I'm not going to lie..my palms were sweaty. And sitting up there talking to the prosecution did make me cry. But today, do you know what else happened? TODAY...I looked at you right in the face....and realized I wasn't afraid anymore. And today I realized that sitting across from you was somehow the crazy kind of step forward that I needed all along.

And I think that's the ironic thing that happens when someone intends something for evil. Because somehow, some way, it always ends up good. But you are a coward. A little boy who wouldn't even look me in the eyes to see that. Because you can't handle the fact that what you tried to destroy, you only made stronger. And if your eyes would've met mine for just one second, you would've also seen that what you "blew up" really did BLOW UP. Because now you have given me (and the other survivors) a tremendous platform to help others, and essentially do our parts in changing the world for the better.

So yes...you did take a part of me. Congratulations you now have a leg up...literally. But in so many ways, you saved my life. Because now, I am so much more appreciative of every new day I am given. And now, I get to hug my son even tighter than before, blessed that he is THRIVING, despite everything that has happened.

So now...while you are sitting in solitary confinement, (awaiting the verdict on your life), I will be actually ENJOYING everything this beautiful world has to offer. And guess what else? I will do so without fear....of YOU. Because now to me you're a nobody, and it is official that you have lost. So man that really sucks for you bro. I truly hope it was worth it.

Sincerely,

Someone you shouldn't have messed with

#‎bostonstrong

(mad/nrl)