Leonora’s Story

My name is Leonora Ogerio, and I am a mother of two. My journey with this scarring began when I fell victim to the bomb attack on Manchester Arena in 2017. Twenty-two innocent lives were senselessly taken that evening. I just felt lucky to have survived.

The attack caused me to suffer life-threatening injuries, and I was forced to spend over five months in hospital recovering from the initial effects. I had sustained multiple shrapnel wounds to buy its part of my body, and both my legs and left arm had been fractured.

While these were the physical effects, the atrocity also scarred me psychologically. I feel like I have been locked down for a while. I feel like I’ve been trapped at home, scared to go out. My physical and mental scars are something I have to carry every day.

Despite this, I truly believe that each scar I bear, whether physically or mentally, is just another part of my story. They represent not only the struggle and terror that I experienced, but a fight to be where I am today. That night will forever be the most awful experience I’ve ever had to endure. But my saving grace during the past few years has been the beautiful souls who I have met during my journey, and none more so than those at The Scar Free Foundation.