Adelaide , Australia ( CNN ) -- It is just a brief moment in time , the time it takes to draw a breath , to click your fingers , the time it takes to detonate a bomb . Life , as you knew it , changed forever . On the morning of July 7 , 2005 , I was just another anonymous commuter on my way to work during rush hour in London 's crowded metropolis . I was short and spritely , weaving through what seemed like a never-ending sea of people to ensure I had a chance of getting on a Tube train . What I did n't know then was that a 19-year-old named Jermaine Lindsay , determined to detonate a bomb he was carrying in his backpack , was boarding the train carriage at the same time as me . We were just seconds out from the station platform when `` click '' -- no bang , no boom , no noise at all , just a split second between life and death , between light and complete darkness . Although we were all anonymous strangers in that carriage , in those crucial moments we became each other 's saviors , a much-needed hand to hold , a comforting and reassuring voice to hear , we became united in our disbelief , our shock , our pain and our absolute horror . An hour passed before rescue could reach us , although the memory is one of timelessness -- the world had ceased to be , nothing made sense and my mind was trying desperately to process every aspect of what I was experiencing . I felt no physical pain , and yet as the thick darkness began to break , the light revealed it was only a thread of skin that was left attaching my legs to my body . It was the brutal images of those who had lost limbs from the Boston Marathon bombing being carried from the scene that resonated deep within my heart -- for I knew , I knew what life is without legs , I knew what they would face in the coming days , weeks , months and years . For me , it was the euphoria of survival , of having Life that ultimately saved me from feeling hatred , bitterness or indeed to seek revenge for my loss . I was Alive and I was still `` Gill '' and yes , although there was a significant part of my body missing , somehow my understanding of life grew . It was witnessing and indeed being a recipient of the brilliance of humanity that also shaped my `` new '' life -- and there was no better sign of this absolute brilliance than in my hospital wristband . It chillingly read `` One Unknown -- Estimated Female . '' I remember vividly reading those words again and again and each time they revealed a deeper sense of humanity and what was important . That tag said to me that people actually put their own lives at risk in trying to save mine , trying to save as many as they could . To them , it did n't matter who I was , whether I had a religion , if I was rich or poor , if my skin was dark or fair , indeed if I was male or female -- all that mattered was that I was a precious human life . Being `` One Unknown '' also told me that on that morning Jermaine Lindsay did n't set out to kill or maim me , Gill Hicks . He did n't know me , he did n't know what I thought or what I felt : to him I was conveniently placed in a group called `` Them '' as opposed to `` Us . '' I 've often thought , what if we had the chance to talk before he detonated his bomb ? I was n't given a choice , I was n't offered a chance to `` defend '' my life ; instead he presumed that I was his enemy . Terror knows no names . Its list is broad and cruel , sweeping from Baghdad to Boston , killing and maiming those who have innocently been in detonation range . Humanity knows no names -- just the value of every single life . But must `` we '' forgive our hurt in order to heal ? For me , the person whose actions took my legs is dead . He 's gone . He is only a name to me . There is no chance for dialogue or for to say `` sorry , '' to even want my forgiveness . My healing is what I now understand to be a continuous journey , one where I must always find strength in love , of self and humanity and to stay focused on what really matters ; leading a life that honors my great gift . Replacing the idea of recovery with a strategy for adjusting , adapting and ultimately accepting `` change '' has equally helped me to understand that I will never know what it is like to have my legs back -- to have that physical freedom again . I had to create a `` new '' idea of normal . To be filled with hatred , as those who created such devastation , was never an option . I allowed the brilliance of the unconditional love that I had experienced throughout my rescue and the following months and years to fill me and show me how to live . I knew that my life , this Life number 2 had to be dedicated to making a positive difference and to building a sustainable peace -- to endeavor to eradicate ignorance in the world , replacing it with empathy . While I wish the world would just `` Stop '' -- for there to be an end to innocent lives being killed or maimed by acts of terrorism or extreme conflict , I now realize , after years of deep thought , that all we can Change is ourselves . I hold onto the belief that If each of us , each `` One Unknown '' made a positive contribution to our own lives , that if we strived to grow to our full potential and truly honour the preciousness of being `` here '' -- then when multiplied , the acts of one become many and the acts of many can change the world as we know it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gill Hicks .
Gill Hicks says euphoria of survival saved her from feeling hatred for her loss . She was a young mother who lost both legs in the attack and now lives with severe disabilities. Hicks asks if we must forgive our hurt in order to heal . After years of thought , she says she realizes all we can really change is ourselves .