A teenager who was badly injured in the bombing that killed his best friend in Manchester in 2017 has revealed that this devastating event has made him a “better” and “more grateful” person.
Freya Lewis, 19, from Cheshire, was 14 when she was overwhelmed by the explosion in the foyer of the Manchester Arena just after the end of American pop star Ariana Grande’s concert.
In the attack carried out by the 22-year-old suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 800 people were injured and 22 people were killed. Among the victims of the explosion was Freya’s best friend, Nell Jones.
As a result of the attack, 29 people were injured, including Freya, two broken legs, a broken nose, bruises on her left lung, cuts and burns all over her body, a shrapnel wound in her left eye and a fracture in her left arm. It required 23 hours of surgery in 11 days and 5 sessions in the operating room.
Speaking in Lorraine this morning, Freya announced that she would celebrate the fifth anniversary of the bombing by joining the Manchester Great Run, which runs for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, on 22 May.
Freya Lewis, pictured here on Lorraine’s show today, spoke about 29 injuries sustained in the explosion before her fifth birthday on May 22.
Nell Jones (pictured) was Freya Jones’ best friend. She was 14 when she was one of 22 people killed in the explosion.
After attending the youth event in 2018 and the adult versions in the following years, the teenager and his family have raised more than £60,000 for the hospital.
A survivor of the attack in Lorraine this morning described her injuries as “all you can think of”.
“But I had the most wonderful staff at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and they were completely healed,” he added.
Regarding the upcoming race, he said: “I hate training, so the idea of running 10km is crazy, but I hope to aim for a total of about three miles.
“If I do, I’ll be proud and walk the rest of the time.”
“The race is actually for this year’s anniversary. So I think it would be a great way to celebrate… I’m going to cry half run but my family and I always come to Manchester for a birthday.
‘The atmosphere is great. As long as I am with my family in the place I love, I will be fine. I also have great friends coming over.”
TV presenter Lorraine, featured on today’s show, discussed Freya’s experience of witnessing the tragic explosion
Freya (pictured, right) told Lorraine (pictured, left) that the experience of being caught in the explosion made her a “more grateful” person.
Freya also discussed how the explosion changed her as a person.
“I think I’m a much more grateful person… a more loving and hopeful better daughter, sister, and family.
“And I like to remind everyone in my life that I love them.”
He also talked about losing his best friend, Nell, and said the night before the bomb went off was the “best of his life”.
“This means a lot to me,” Freya told Lorraine. “Something I’ll be forever grateful for. I’ve never seen him this happy. It was amazing.’
Freya Lewis’ 2020 book, What Makes Us Stronger, will be out in paperback this month.
Source: Daily Mail
