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The Utah woman severely injured in the London terror attack last month has returned to her West Bountiful home and is healing faster than expected, her brother said Saturday.
Doctors cleared Melissa Cochran to fly back to Utah on Monday. She was taken to a hospital upon arrival to "make sure everything was OK," her brother Clint Payne said in a telephone interview.
"Everything is good," Payne said. "She had surgery a couple of days ago that was nothing serious — cleaning of the wound she has on her leg. They are really, really happy with how she's healing. It's better than they expected."
Cochran suffered a shattered left leg below the knee when a car slammed into her and other pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. Her husband, Kurt Cochran, 54, died after the collision threw him from the bridge. The couple had been vacationing in Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were caught in the attack.
Four others also died in the attack.
Payne said pins and screws now hold much of his sister's leg together. Doctors wanted to ensure it would hold up on the extended flight before they approved her return to Utah. A nurse joined her for the trip back, and Delta Airlines gave Cochran a seat in first class so she could keep the leg extended, he said.
"It's been really good for her to be home," Payne said, adding his sister does not want any visits and hopes to stay out of the public spotlight.
Cochran also requested the family stop taking donations through a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $83,000 since the attack.
"She was overwhelmed with the response from everyone," Payne said. "She feels like she's had enough of the spotlight now and wants to see others who also need help to get attention."
On April 5, Cochran was an honored guest at a Westminster Abbey memorial service in which the royal family met with survivors.
"She said it was so beautiful," Payne said. "It was a great tribute to all the victims. She and Kurt, the day of the incident, were on their way to take a tour of Westminster Abbey. And that's where the service was held. So it kind of brought some closure for her."
In an interview with the BBC after the service, an emotional Cochran said that despite the death of "the love of my life," she didn't feel ill will toward the driver in the attack, Khalid Masood.
"I don't think I could heal my injuries, or my person, if I had hate in my heart," she said. "And Kurt wouldn't want that, either."
She told the BBC she recalls little of the attack itself.
"We were just having another wonderful day of our vacation — just enjoying the sites, taking pictures making our way to the Abbey.
"I don't remember much after that," Cochran said. "We were crossing the bridge. We were almost there."
Twitter: @lramseth