Story highlights Krystle Campbell is one of three people who died in the blast

She was driven by a strong work ethic

Mother: "She had a heart of gold. She was always smiling"

Patty Campbell worried her daughter Krystle might face amputation after a bomb blast at the Boston Marathon wounded her.

The family said doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital told them Campbell had survived -- but that they had to work hard to save her leg.

But when her parents were allowed to see her, they made a heart-wrenching discovery.

The wounded woman wasn't their daughter at all, but her close friend, Karen Rand, who had gone to see the race with her.

Rand had been carrying something with Campbell's name on it. Doctors saw it and assumed it belonged to the patient they were working on.

Rand survived, but Campbell, 29, did not.

Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Three people were killed when two homemade explosives went off at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, and a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was fatally shot in the manhunt that followed. From left, the victims were Krystle Campbell, Sean Collier, Lingzi Lu and Martin Richard. Click through the gallery to see how the victims were honored and remembered in the weeks after the terror attack. Hide Caption 1 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims People pause at the memorial site in Boston's Copley Square on April 30, 2013. Hide Caption 2 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Running shoes were among the mementos left as a tribute to the bombing victims. Hide Caption 3 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Boston showed its resilience and heart with signs of support for the bombing victims, including this cover from an issue of Boston magazine. Hide Caption 4 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Law enforcement officials enter St. Patrick's Church prior to Collier's funeral in Stoneham, Massachusetts, on April 23, 2013. Hide Caption 5 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims President Barack Obama observes a moment of silence in the White House Oval Office on April 22, 2013. Hide Caption 6 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Staff members of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center gather inside a trauma room to observe a moment of silence on April 22, 2013. Hide Caption 7 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A Buddhist sits at a memorial near the marathon finish line during a moment of silence on April 22, 2013. Hide Caption 8 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims One week after the bombings, people gather to observe a moment of silence in Copley Square. Hide Caption 9 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Officials line Boylston Street as they observe a moment of silence near the marathon finish line on April 22, 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims People take part in the moment of silence near the marathon finish line. Hide Caption 11 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims State employees pause for a moment of silence on the steps of the Massachusetts State House. Hide Caption 12 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Pallbearers carry Campbell's casket after a funeral service in Medford, Massachusetts, on April 22, 2013. Hide Caption 13 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Mourners walk out of St. Joseph Catholic Church after Campbell's funeral service. Hide Caption 14 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Nurse practitioner Maureen Quaranto, who treated victims of the bombings, wears her Boston Marathon jacket during Mass on April 21, 2013. Hide Caption 15 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims From left, Boston Police Department Superintendents Kevin Buckley and William Evans attend Mass with Police Commissioner Edward Davis on April 21, 2013. Hide Caption 16 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Photos of the deceased are displayed in Boston at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on April 21, 2013. Hide Caption 17 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Leaders of an interfaith service participate in a vigil near the finish line on April 21, 2013. Hide Caption 18 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A makeshift memorial honors the bombing victims on April 21, 2013. Hide Caption 19 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Nicole Collier Lynch, Collier's sister, hugs a police officer during a vigil in Wilmington, Massachusetts, on April 20, 2013. Hide Caption 20 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims People gather at a makeshift memorial in Boston on April 20, 2013. Hide Caption 21 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Huntsville, Alabama, residents hold a prayer vigil on April 19, 2013. Hide Caption 22 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A man rings a bell at the vigil in Huntsville. Hide Caption 23 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Two women embrace during a candlelight vigil in Somerville, Massachusetts, on April 18, 2013. Hide Caption 24 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Obama talks with staff members at Massachusetts General Hospital while visiting injured patients on April 18, 2013. Hide Caption 25 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A man at a Boston restaurant watches Obama speak on television on April 18, 2013. Hide Caption 26 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Mourners fill a Boston cathedral for an interfaith service on April 18, 2013. Hide Caption 27 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick attend the interfaith prayer service. Hide Caption 28 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Flowers, running shoes and other items are left in memory of bombing victim Lingzi Lu. Hide Caption 29 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Dennis Seidenberg of the Boston Bruins observes a moment of silence before the start of an NHL hockey game in Boston on April 17, 2013. It was the first sporting event held in the city after the bombings. Hide Caption 30 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Danielle Cerroni writes a chalk message on the street near the marathon's finish line on April 17, 2013. Hide Caption 31 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A woman looks at memorials left at the scene of the attack. Hide Caption 32 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A crowd gathers at Boston's Garvey Park during a vigil for bombing victim Martin Richard on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 33 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims A woman uses her hand to keep wind from her candle during an interfaith service in Boston on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 34 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Mourners gather on the edge of the pond for a candlelight vigil in Boston on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 35 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Students from the Clifden Academy hold an American flag and candles during a vigil in Dorcester, Massachusetts, on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 36 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims People walk along the barricade at Boylston Street on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 37 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Mourners in Boston hug one another during a vigil for victims on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 38 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Five-time Boston Marathon runner Jose Sotolongo, center, reacts during a moment of silence in Miami on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 39 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers stand for a moment of silence before an NHL hocky game in Uniondale, New York, on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 40 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Members of the Boston Red Sox observe a moment of silence before their Major League Baseball game in Cleveland on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 41 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims From left, Boston Marathon runners Tammy Snyder, Diane Deigmann and Lisa Kresky-Griffin embrace at the barricaded entrance to Boylston Street on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 42 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Two young girls leave flowers on the steps outside the Boston home of 8-year-old bombing victim Martin Richard on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 43 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Traders at the New York Stock Exchange observe a moment of silence before the opening bell on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 44 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims The flag above the White House flies at half-staff on April 16, 2013. Hide Caption 45 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims The Minnesota Twins stand during the national anthem before a baseball game in Minneapolis on April 15, 2013. Hide Caption 46 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Obama makes a statement about the bombings on April 15, 2013. Hide Caption 47 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Players and fans observe a moment of silence before an NBA game in Oakland, California, on Aprl 15, 2013. Hide Caption 48 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims An American flag flies at half-staff at the Capitol building in Washington on April 15, 2013. Hide Caption 49 of 50 Photos: Nation mourns Boston bombing victims Hockey fans in Glendale, Arizona, pause for a moment of silence before a game on April 15, 2013. Hide Caption 50 of 50

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She is one of three people who perished when the two bombs blew shrapnel through crowds of thousands at the iconic road race.

Rolling up her sleeves

Campbell was driven by a strong work ethic, and it got noticed by family and coworkers alike.

Former employers commended her diligence when lamenting her death.

"She was one of the hardest workers that we had," said Nick Miminos, manager at Jimmy's Steer House, Campbell's most recent employer. "She would get in the trenches and work right next to you. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty."

"Full of energy and hard at work," is how former employer Summer Shack, a seafood restaurant, described her in a statement on its Facebook page.

She rolled up her sleeves with a smile, her grandmother Lillian Campbell told CNN's Jake Tapper. "She was very happy, outgoing, a hard worker."

Campbell lived with her grandmother for a year and a half and was "great with me," she said. She was always eager to help.

Her grieving mother, Patty Campbell, couldn't stop sobbing long enough to read a family statement to the press. To her, Campbell was nothing short of the best.

"You couldn't ask for a better daughter," she managed to get across her lips.

"She had a heart of gold. She was always smiling," Patty Campbell said, as her son, Billy, clutched her in his right arm.

Bright eyes, vibrant smile

Looking at Campbell's memorial page on Facebook, it's easy to believe her mother. The page is covered with photos of the young woman's vibrant smiles and bright eyes.

On the deceased restaurant manager's private page, the family points visitors to the memorial site, which had garnered over 51,000 likes by early Wednesday.

Admirers have left behind thousands of condolences and prayers.

"This just makes me so sad," Robert Zeff wrote on the Facebook page. "I'm so sorry for Krystle and everyone who knew her and loved her."

"May God comfort your hearts and bring peace to your beautiful family at this difficult time," Samantha Gurskis-Pottinger commented.

But the page's owner has included a sterner message:

"We demand justice for Krystle!"