In this article a police officer wounded in an attack with the Boston marathon bombers has a long way to go to fully recover and get his life back together.

May 20, 2013 at 1:00 am

Cop on mend after Boston showdown

Officer almost bled to death in gunfight with bomb suspects

• Bridget Murphy
• Associated Press
• 1 Comments

Officer Richard Donahue, who was shot during the gun battle with the Boston suspects, uses crutches to get around. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press)

Boston — With a bullet still in his body, the police officer who survived a showdown with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects said Sunday he's determined to return to duty.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Officer Richard Donahue has been recovering alongside victims injured in the April 15 attack by the marathon's finish line since his transfer to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston on Friday.

The 33-year-old uses crutches to get around now, and is coping with nerve damage that makes it painful to walk and difficult to sleep. But sitting alongside his wife Kim Donahue, the transit officer said he's getting stronger and healthier every day.

Besides building strength to walk on his own, Donahue also is doing speech therapy and other exercises to prepare his mind and body to head home again. He said he's looking forward to the end of his hospitalization so he can spend more time with his 7-month-old son and toss a ball around with his family's beagle.

Donahue doesn't recall anything about the gunbattle that left him wounded on a street in suburban Watertown. His last memory from the day he almost bled to death is roll call at the start of his shift.

That was hours before Donahue responded to the call that came after authorities say bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev fatally shot his police academy friend, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Officer Sean Collier.

It was in Watertown that Donahue suffered a severed femoral artery when a bullet pierced his groin during a gunbattle with the Tsarnaev brothers.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died on the same street where Donahue was wounded. Authorities have said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev drove over his brother while fleeing the scene after Tamerlan, 26, ran out of ammunition and was tackled by officers.

But Donahue, an MBTA officer of three years, has no memory of the encounter that nearly killed him.

"As of right now, it's all been a blackout," he said.

Exactly how Donahue was wounded isn't clear. He said if his injury turned out to be from a fellow officer's bullet, he was just glad police "got the job done" at a chaotic scene where authorities said the suspects tossed explosives and fired on officers.

The transit officer said he is in favor of authorities filing additional charges against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in connection with Collier's death and his own close call.

Donahue's wife said she's proud of her husband, and while they won't use the word "hero" a lot at home, their 7-month-old son will have a lot to live up to.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130520/NATION/305200332#ixzz2TpSlLgWw