Sydney Corcoran, 18, made a remarkable recovery from injuries sustained during the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings just in time to make it to her Senior Prom.
And as if her return to join her classmates wasn’t enough of a treat, Corcoran was later voted Prom Queen for the evening.
The New York Post reports that on April 15, Sydney and her parents were in attendance on Boylston Street for the Boston Marathon to cheer on Sydney’s aunt. After the first blast went off, Sydney was separated from her parents and was left bleeding on the sidewalk.
A good Samaritan found Sydney and applied steady pressure to her leg; a major blood vessel had been ruptured from the shrapnel, and a hole was blown through her foot. Luckily, Sydney’s leg was spared, due in part to the passerby’s help. Sydney’s mother Celeste, however, had her legs amputated.
Sydney and her mother shared the same hospital room while they recovered, and Sydney used the room to prep for prom knowing that her mother would want to share in the process.
“She still wanted to help out, and she was determined to, so she made sure that she did my toes,” Sydney said, who also made an emotional return to her mother’s hair salon to get her hair done for the festivities.
She also had to make a trip through Boston, which brought back memories from the bombings.
“Each time I go in, it’s scary,” Sydney said of driving through Boston. “The first time, the entire car ride, I just had, like, flashbacks.”
Still, Sydney was happy enough to be attending prom despite her injuries, and on the arm of her boyfriend Tyler Veiga. Not able to put weight on her left foot, Sydney was not able to dance during her prom, but decorated her crutches with flowers and was later crowned Prom Queen.
"When I was in the hospital, I didn't think this was going to be possible," Corcoran said to ABC. "Then I got to the rehab, 'cause I was up and doing things it felt like I could do it.”
Her return to her classmates was an emotional one for Sydney. “Like I keep feeling like I'm going to cry, because I'm just happy to be back. See, now I'm going to start crying. It's just really good to see everyone."
After having tackled prom, Sydney has her sights set on next week’s high school graduation, where she is hoping she can walk across the stage - without crutches - to receive her diploma. She plans on attending Merrimack College in the fall to study psychology.
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