BOSTON — Since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Rebekah Gregory has been an outspoken face of recovery and positivity. Gregory was severely injured in the bombings and 30 surgeries and 18 months later, had her leg amputated.
Now, she lives in Texas and travels the country speaking to audiences and inspiring them about what it means to come back from tragedy and how to be “Boston Strong.” But this week, Gregory and her husband Chris are once again being put to the test.
Gregory’s mother Tina wrote on Rebekah’s Facebook page Wednesday night announcing that Rebekah had given birth to a little girl Monday but that Ryleigh Michelle “arrived way too early.” She is expected to spend the next several weeks in the NICU.
“She is a fighter,” Tina writes. “Someone said ‘Boston Strong’ by default. I would agree.”
Gregory wrote her own message a few hours later and explained why she didn’t publicly announce her pregnancy.
“We knew right away it was extremely high risk and decided that we both wanted to keep this part of our lives private as a result,” she said.
Within hours of posting, the Rebekah, Chris, and new baby Ryleigh received hundreds of comments of support and prayer. Gregory also has a son named Noah who was with her at the marathon the day of the bombing.
Gregory made national headlines in December of 2014 when she appeared on TLC’s “Say Yes To The Dress,” and again in March of 2015, when she wrote an open letter to bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during his trial.
