The parents of Lingzi Lu, one of the three people killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, have written an open letter, published in The Boston Globe, now that the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has concluded. It is a letter of thanks and a letter of hope.
“Throughout the trial, we had to relive the horrific details and images of that day, mixed with the displays of cynicism, hatred, and intolerance,” wrote her parents. “At the same time, we were reminded of the policemen, firemen, first responders, health care professionals and complete strangers who bravely risked their own lives to save others during and after this event. Thank you! You are the true heroes of that day and you have reassured us with hope and instilled us with the courage to move forward.”
An only child, originally from Shenyang in the northeastern part of China, Lu was a 23-year-old international graduate student at Boston University, studying statistics, with hopes of becoming a financial analyst on Wall Street someday. Her best friend Danling Zhou who was with her at the Boston Marathon that day, Boston Police Officer Lauren Woods who was found her immediately after the blast, and her aunt, Jinyan “Helen” Zhao, from Rhode Island, testified at Tsarnaev’s trial.
Her parents described her as an optimistic and happy person who loved life and loved people. Her dream was to study in America in order to expand her horizons, and she loved Boston and New England and all the different people she met there.
“We know now more than ever that her spirit is alive and well,” wrote her parents. “Our everlasting hope is that her dream continues to live on in all those who dream big dreams and have the opportunity to make the world a more peaceful and better place.”
Boston University has set up a scholarship fund in her name, and her parents have set up a foundation in her memory.