Skip to main content
Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Marathon bombing survivors prepare for charity’s closing

2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Heather Abbott speaks during an interview at her home in Newport, R.I., Friday, Dec. 12, 2014. For Abbott, who lost her left leg, One Fund Boston helped cover the costly prosthetics that allowed her to reclaim some degree of normalcy. Twenty months and $80 million later, the charity set up to help victims of the bombings is closing down. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Heather Abbott speaks during an interview at her home in Newport, R.I., Friday, Dec. 12, 2014. For Abbott, who lost her left leg, One Fund Boston helped cover the costly prosthetics that allowed her to reclaim some degree of normalcy. Twenty months and $80 million later, the charity set up to help victims of the bombings is closing down. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) 2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Heather Abbott speaks during an interview at her home in Newport, R.I., Friday, Dec. 12, 2014. For Abbott, who lost her left leg, One Fund Boston helped cover the costly prosthetics that allowed her to reclaim some degree of normalcy. Twenty months and $80 million later, the charity set up to help victims of the bombings is closing down. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

By Associated Press 4 min read

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – Heather Abbott says One Fund Boston – the charity set up in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings – helped her reclaim a degree of normalcy after losing part of her left leg.

The 40-year-old Raytheon worker was able to acquire, in part through the fund’s generous donors, four different prosthetic legs: one for daily use, a waterproof one, a running leg and another for wearing high heels. A few of them look so real that people rarely take notice, even if she’s out in sandals, Abbott says.

But One Fund Boston is winding down, having distributed nearly $80 million in donations to victims and their families after two pressure cooker bombs killed three people and injured more than 260 others at the marathon finish line in April 2013.

On Monday, the charity will take down its online donations page; any checks received after Dec. 31 will be returned.

Lori van Dam, One Fund’s executive director, says the non-profit – which collected donations from more than 200,000 individuals, corporations and charities in more than 60 countries – does not plan to make further direct payments to victims.