Boston Celtics Honor Bedford's Tammy Jerome As 'Hero Among Us'

BEDFORD, NH — That Tammy Jerome was even standing center court on the TD Garden parquet Monday night was surreal enough for the Bedford resident. That more than 18,000 fans were standing and cheering her journey from the amputation of her left leg, to running road races for charity, to becoming a Boston Celtics “Hero Among Us” made it a night she said she will never forget.

“Being that close was incredible,” Jerome said of her courtside seats. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We were literally right there. I was just worried the coach was going to trip over my feet.”

It was 20 months ago when Jerome underwent surgery for an infection in her leg. Ten surgeries later, she was told the infection was chronic, she had become resistant to antibiotics, and that amputation might be necessary.

“When they first talked about the potential of amputation I joked that I thought about taking it off myself,” she said. “But when the surgeon told me that might be the best option for me it was a scary moment. That made it real. Then when they told me I was a candidate for a prosthetic it gave me hope again. When I went in it was terrifying, and when I came out it was enlightening.”

Thanks to the work of the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, the nerves in Jerome’s leg were preserved to the extent she could receive the prosthetic. Jerome determined that she needed to do something it “pay it forward” when it came to a second chance at an active lifestyle. She set her sights on running Boston Athletic Association 5K last April, and just eight days after receiving her prosthetic she completed her race.

In the past year, she has finished seven more races, raising more than $4,000 for the Stepping Strong Center. At the end of the first quarter of Monday night’s victory against the Miami Heat, the Celtics honored Jerome for her grit, perseverance and fundraising as part of their “Heroes Among Us” program.

“When they told me they were choosing me for it I was absolutely speechless,” she said. “My daughter had to speak for me. Initially, I didn’t have any words.”

Not only has Jerome continued to live an active lifestyle since her amputation, she has not let any setbacks get in her way. In December, she tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in her other leg while skiing. Yet, she said she intends to walk the course of the BAA 5K for Stepping Strong in April just two months removed from her surgery, and hopes to run the Falmouth 7-miler in August for the second straight year. Next April, her intention is to run her first Boston Marathon, alongside her daughter, Meghan.

“This gave me my life back,” she said. “Before, I had a leg attached to my body. But it had no function to it. Now, I have my quality of life again. People ask me if I have any regrets about all that’s happened to me, and I say my only regret is that I should have done it sooner.”