Teen befriended by marathon blast survivor set to arrive here

FOX UNDERCOVER (MyFoxBoston.com) -- After months of planning, a teenage girl from El Salvador who lost her leg is finally set to fly to Boston later this month to get desperately needed medical care and a prosthetic leg thanks in no small part to the efforts of a Marathon Bombing survivor.

Karen Rand, who lost her own leg in the terror attack, said she "has been smiling all day" since hearing the news that Melissa Estefania and her family have plane tickets to fly to Logan Airport on Feb. 27.

That was the final hurdle getting Estefania her after securing visas and lining up medical care. Estefania was walking to the market with her younger sister when drag-racing cars veered off the road and spun toward them. Estefania pushed her sister out of the way and took the brunt of the impact from one of the cars, losing her right leg above the knee, injuring her left leg and suffering burns.

Her story reached a friend of Boston Barstool owner Mauricio Quiroga, and when Rand happened to stop by his Somerville store he asked about Rand's own prosthetic leg.

That chance encounter led to Rand's learning about Estefania's story, and taking on the cause to help get her to Boston to receive advanced medical care.

After landing in Boston, Estefania will head directly to Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston for surgery, Quiroga said. After surgery, Estefania will be fitted with an expensive, above-the-knee prosthetic leg that will be donated by Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics in Newton and their manufacturers.

Estefania is expected to stay here for six months, and her supporters here are still trying to raise money to support her.

Donations can be made by clicking here.

Cox Media Group