In the three years since the Boston Marathon bombings, many who endured the attack have worked to transcend the suffix of “bombing survivor,’’ even as missing limbs and lingering trauma remind them of the horrific event.

But their connection to that day in April 2013 came roaring back this past weekend, after authorities revealed that Omar Mateen, who opened fire Sunday morning in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and killed 49 people, had admired the Marathon bombers.

In the days following Mateen’s rampage, survivors of the Marathon bombings have banded together to offer one another comfort and reassurance — and to consider how they can support those in Orlando who now occupy the same spotlight they once did.

When news of the tragedy broke early Sunday, it set off a wave of text messages and phone calls among survivors of the Marathon bombings, who have maintained a tightly knit connection.

“Whenever anything like this happens, we call it our Boylston Street family — everyone reaches out to each other to say, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about you, hope you’re doing OK,’ ’’ said Rebekah Gregory, who lost a leg in the bombings. “Those are the only people who know what you’re going through when this news breaks.’’

Marc Fucarile, who also lost a leg in the attack, said he, too, has exchanged text messages with survivors wanting to check on each other.

Several Marathon bombing survivors, remembering the wellspring that buoyed them, said they are eager to extend that network of support to victims in Orlando.

Gregory said she and other survivors have discussed contacting Orlando victims to offer insight from their own experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder and other remnants of the attack.

“Every day I wake up, and I put a leg on, and it’s a totally different normal than what I had before. And that’s why we want to reach out and do whatever we can in terms of helping these victims figure out their new normal,’’ she said. “Even if it’s just encouragement and prayers, anything I can do, I’m more than willing.’’

In particular, Gregory said, One Fund Boston — a nonprofit established the day after the attacks that raised nearly $80 million for victims — was a “lifesaver’’ in the weeks after the bombings.

On Tuesday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced creation of the OneOrlando Fund to collect donations for victims and their families. City of Orlando spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser said officials from the Florida city reached out to organizers of One Fund Boston for guidance in setting up the fund.

“We shared the challenges we saw and lessons learned, some of those things being the need for speed, the need to focus on victims’ families and survivors first,’’ said Dot Joyce, former spokeswoman for One Fund. “It was with great sadness that we heard about . . . the need for this type of fund again.’’

In 2013, a $1 million donation from John Hancock propelled a wave of giving to the One Fund; on Tuesday, Walt Disney Co. announced it had donated $1 million to the OneOrlando Fund.

While the OneOrlando Fund is a general fund for those affected by the shooting, some in Boston have found themselves drawn to individual stories in Orlando that remind them of their own experiences.

Liz Norden, whose two sons lost legs in the Boston bombings, said she particularly wants to give to Christine Leinonen, whose son was killed at Pulse. Leinonen became one of the most heart-rending faces of the Orlando tragedy after she spent more than a day waiting for news of her son, appearing on the “Today’’ news program Monday morning to describe her anguish. She learned several hours later that her son, Christopher, had not survived.

In 2013, Norden spent hours searching for her son J.P. before learning he and brother Paul had both lost legs.

“It is a feeling that I wouldn’t wish on anybody, a pain that you can’t even imagine,’’ Norden said. “I turned the TV on early Sunday morning, and I watched it all day long. I never left the house. I could feel [Leinonen’s] pain.’’

For Norden, the Orlando tragedy is a reminder that the aftershocks of the Boston bombings will never fade.

“We’ll live it out forever, but you just hope that in time it lessens,’’ she said. “And then something like this happens, and it brings back the pain all over again.’’

Vivian Wang can be reached at vivian.wang@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @vwang3.