Freya Lewis was three metres away from Manchester Arena bomb explosion - now she is preparing to mark the fifth anniversary with her usual bravery
23.04.2022 - 20:41
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
“It doesn’t feel like five years ago, in some ways that feels like another life".
Remarkable teenager Freya Lewis is reflecting on the night she was just three metres away from the terrorist who detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert killing 21 innocent people. Aged just 15 at the time, Freya suffered 29 injuries, was in a coma, and was wheelchair-bound for three months.
Since that inconceivable act almost five years ago, Freya whose best friend Nell Jones died in the blast at Manchester Arena, has shown commendable resilience, courage and fortitude. Amazingly just 12 months after suffering her injuries the steely survivor was not only on her feet, but running the Junior Great Manchester Run for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity.
Now, as the fifth anniversary of this tragic event looms - she is once again preparing to take to the streets to raise funds, embarking on the adult 10K exactly five years to the day of the atrocity. A day that is bound to trigger a wide range of deep emotions.
READ MORE: Struggling mum may not have been given help she needed when leaving hospital - one month before death on railway track
Freya said: "I think on the day of the run it will really hit home that it’s the anniversary." She is now in her first year studying acting and performance at LMA in Stratford and explaining what happened to her when meeting someone new is still a strange experience.
She added: “When I started university in September I was thinking ‘how do I bring it up?’ My friends and I had been in touch on social media before we arrived so they had a chance to look me up online. Most of them knew already when we met but some people don’t know.
"It was nice to get a fresh start and be ‘just Freya’ rather