Boston bombing victim Jane Richards

I hope that in whatever prison hellhole he is in that someone will show Dzhokhar Tsarnaev the photograph of little Irish dancer Jane Richards and her new prosthetic limb to replace the leg he and his sick brother Tamerlan blew off with their Boston marathon bomb.

I hope they show him the photograph of the family, the dead son Martin and the mother who has shrapnel in her brain as a result of that bomb.

I hope all the Rolling Stone cover groupies and editors take a look too and instead of the soft focus terror chic  picture of Tsarnaev that the magazine used that instead they do a cover story on Jane Richards and her battle.

The great news is that Jane Richard (7), who survived the Boston Marathon bombing, has been released from rehabilitation and now has a new prosthetic leg.

Her story is remarkable. The Richard family, from the Irish community of Dorchester in Boston, announced on their blog that Jane, an avid Irish dancer, is back and even dancing despite her prosthetic limb.

The whole family were standing on Boylston Street, watching the end of the Boston Marathon on April 15, when the bomb went off.

Jane, the Irish dancer, lost her leg in the bombing and her brother, eight-year-old Martin, was one of three people killed. Their mother Denise suffered a brain injury. Dad Bill and their other son Henry were not severely injured.

Updating the world on their little Irish dancer’s progress, the Richard family posted on their blog on August 15.

It read: “After three months in hospitals and hundreds of hours of physical therapy and other work at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Jane was discharged a few weeks ago. That night was the first time any of us slept at home in our own beds since before the bombings. We left home together on April 15th, and we were determined that none of us would sleep at home until all of us could do so.”

They added, “Jane continues to be an incredible source of inspiration - and exhaustion. The loss of her leg has not slowed her one bit, or deterred her in any way. As we knew she would, when we finally returned home, Jane walked into the house with the aid of her crutches, but under her own power. She has since received her prosthetic leg. And while she is getting more comfortable with it, she is also limited with how much she can wear it at any one time. When she is able to have it on, she struts around on it with great pride and a total sense of accomplishment. Her strength, balance and comfort with the leg improve every day. Watching her dance with her new leg, which has her weight primarily on the other leg, is absolutely priceless.”

Following the Boston Bombing the Irish community and especially the Irish dance community rallied around the Richard family with various fundraisers being held for them across the US.

Jane had been a lifelong member of the Clifden Academy of Irish Dance in Milton. After the tragic attack Eileen Dillon Dinn, the academy’s owner told the Irish Voice, “She is just a beautiful little girl. We taught her since she was a baby, pointing her little toe...We are just in a state of shock and disbelief. The Richard family is lovely. They went to the marathon as a happy family, and then this happened. We don’t know what to say.”

The Richard family posted this long update on their blog to mark the four month anniversary of the Boston Bombing.

They wrote, “Today marks four months since our family, and indeed our community were savagely and cowardly attacked for reasons we remain at a loss to understand. While we have made progress with our physical injuries, the emotional pain seems every bit as new as it was four months ago.

“An hour doesn't go by that we don't feel the agony of Martin's death and the senseless way it came about. The pain is constant and even the sweetest moments can become heartbreaking when we are struck by the realization that "Martin would have loved this…”

They ended by saying, “We hope to honor Martin's memory in a meaningful and impactful way, and this fall we intend to start exploring ways to do that.

Throughout all that has happened, we have worked hard to maintain our bond as a family. With the love and support of family and friends, including those who were total strangers just four months ago, we feel like we are succeeding."

Yes they are and it is wonderful that the evil deeds of the Tsarnaev brothers has not succeeded in quenching the spirit of this remarkable family.