The young woman who was comforted in the aftermath of the Boston bombings by a man who falsely claimed he was a wounded Afghanistan veteran does not regret the white lie he told.
Hysterical after her left leg was shredded by shrapnel when one of the Boston bombs detonated, Victoria McGrath was soothed by the calming words of Tyler Dodd, who said that he had been injured during his time in service.
While this was not true, Dodds is an ex-oil rig worker, McGrath said that all that matters to her is the effect his words had at the time - as the two were tearfully reunited at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
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Northeastern University student Victoria McGrath, 20, who was seriously injured in the Boston Marathon bombing, meets the heroes responsible for rescuing her, without whom, doctors say, she would have died
Victoria McGrath was reunited with Tyler Dodd - the man whose words of comfort calmed her down after she had been seriously wounded in the Boston bombings
In an interview with the Today show, McGrath explained how Dodd's calming voice helped her to relax before she was seen by first responders inside the Boston marathon medical tent.
Last week, Dood, who identifies as a recovering alcoholic said, 'he saw the terror in the eyes' of McGrath and 'knew I had to talk to her'.
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'She asked me not to leave her. She was holding my hand. There was some kind of connection on a spiritual level, I would have to say, cause when I told it was going to be okay, she believed me,' he told Fox News.
Northeastern University student McGrath was told by Dodd that he was a Marine who had served in the Afghanistan War. He managed to calm the young woman over her injuries by showing her where he had been hit in the leg by shrapnel during his deployment.
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Bombing victim not bothered by savior's white lie
Hero: Victoria McGrath, 20, a student at Northeastern University credits Tyler Dodd with saving her life with his comforting words
Horror: Victoria was pictured being carried to safety by Boston fireman Jim Plourde
Victoria McGrath, 20, is expected to regain full used of her left leg as she recovers and may one day walk without a limp
Hero - but not a soldier: Former oil rig worker Tyler Dodd, rushed to the aid of wounded college student, Victoria McGrath
That turned out not to be the case - Dodd told her that to help her to calm down.
Sharp Rise in Injuries Days after Boston Bombing: Sudden Jump in Figures Blamed on Delays Coming Forward
A spokesman for the Boston Health Commission reported a sudden jump in the number of injured on Saturday.
264 are now being treated across 26 Boston hospitals, according to Reuters
The sudden jump from 180 came as dozens of people came forward with delayed minor health complaints, such as hearing issues or minor shrapnel wounds. 48 remain hospitalised.
'He wasn't a combat soldier in Afhganistan - he wasn't in combat,' said McGrath. 'I don't regret it - I don't regret him telling me that.
The truth behind Dodds claims were revealed as he made frequent appearances on national television where interviewers quizzed him on his service history.
He admitted to never having been in the military.
Currently making a satifactory recovery from her injuries, McGrath suffered extensive nerve damage to her leg when shrapnel tore through it as she stood five-feet away from the blast.
And in addition to Dodds, McGrath was reunited with the three other complete strangers who saved her life on Monday 15th April.
Meeting up with Bruce Mendhelson, Alicia Shamba and firefighter Jim Plourde, McGrath became emotional.
Especially so when it was revealed to Mendhelson that the toruniquet he applied to her leg was responsible for saving her life - because the shrapnel had nicked an artery, causing her to bleed profusely.
In the aftermath of the devastating twin bombings, an appeal was put out on her behalf to find Dodd, who helped calm her as she became ‘completely hysterical’ - and in her view saved her life.
At the time, Tyler said that he was a marine - but subsequent interviews revealed that he was indeed an ex-oil rig worker and recovering alcoholic who had lived in Boston for only a year.
Tyler Dodd has given a series of interviews since he aided Victoria McGrath in which he admitted he was not a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict
Victoria McGrath said that she bore no ill-will towards Tyler Dodd - despite him lying to her about his veteran status
Victoria McGrath (left) with Alicia Shamba (center) and Tyler Dodd (right) discussing the parts they all played in her rescue
Alicia Shamba was one of the first responders to encounter Victoria McGrath in the medical tent of the Boston marathon following the explosions
'I had no idea this is what he (God) had planned for me,' he said.
'It was pure chaos immediately following. There were people screaming, a lot of people with lower extremity injuries, and a lot of blood,' he said of the aftermath.
'It was really surreal. In this situation, you run on autopilot, so you don't have to really feel anything. To be honest with you, I didn't know what to feel at the time. It was an unbelievable scene.
'What sticks out in my mind more than the injuries or the chaos or the trauma was peoples' selflessness in the situation and how many people were willing to help despite the police telling us we were in immediate danger.'
Bruce Mendhelson (right) was told that by placing a tourniquet onto Victoria McGrath's wound - he most likely saved her life from blood loss
Bruce Mendhelson (left) is reunited with Victoria McGrath (center) and firefighter Jim Plourde (right) who carried her to safety
Victoria, 20, sustained a serious shrapnel wound to her leg in the first blast during the Boston Marathon on Monday which left three dead and over 240 injured.
She was carried to safety by Boston fireman Jim Plourde who left her in a medical tent with Sgt Tyler.
A hospital spokeswoman said when she was there Tyler told Victoria: 'You’re going to have a scar, but you’re going to be OK. It’ll be like my scar'.
MailOnline has discovered that Victoria is a business, administration and accounting student at Northeastern University in Boston, speaks two languages and works at Banana Republic to make some extra cash amongst her other jobs.
This X-ray from Tufts medical center shows a one-centimeter long piece of shrapnel which came within inches of making Victoria McGrath an amputee
Victoria’s cousin Catherine McGrath said that Victoria ‘thinks that Sgt Tyler saved her life’.
She said: ‘She is still in hospital and has had surgery once already on her leg. I think she’s having surgery today.
Her parents Jill and James work as executives at IBM, Catherine said.
She said: ‘Victoria spent 10 years in the UK so grew up there. She also spent a few years in Paris. She’s not long come back to the US.
‘In the UK she lived outside of London. She may have been born there but I’m not certain’.
Recovery: Victoria, left, is suffering from a compound fracture and has nerve damage. Her family describe her as a 'wonderful person and beautiful, inside and out'
Rescue: Victoria sustained a serious shrapnel wound to her leg in the first blast during the Boston Marathon on Monday which left three dead and more than 180 injured
Mr Plourde, 35, carried out the first part of the rescue and the image of him carrying Victoria in his arms became an iconic picture of the blast.
In an interview he said that he was just doing his job and dismissed suggestions he is brave, even though he is married and has a 15-month-old daughter himself.
Recounting what he saw on the day, he said: ‘Here was a guy with a young girl, and he's like, `you've got to help her,' and he just started putting the tourniquet on and I said, `you got to get out of here,' and he said `you got to take her out.'