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The investigation presses on. A city and a nation continue to mourn. And, slowly, Boston is getting back to normal. But in the hospitals, where brave surgeons were ready for dramatic surgeries and where there was more good news on Wednesday, there remains one 27-year-old victim of last week's marathon bombings who stands out: Jeff Bauman, who transformed from cheering boyfriend to iconic amputee. And Jeff Bauman, a city and a nation will be happy to hear and see, is well on the road to recovery. Here's an update from the man who's not quite a microcosm, but who will left up your spirits nonetheless:
Jeff Is Still in Recovery — and He Met with His Cowboy Hero!
Bauman remains at Boston Medical Center — his amputations were both below the knee — but he's had his share of visitors. One of them is Carlos Arrendondo, the man in the cowboy hat in that indelible AP photo last Monday, gripping the shredded remains of one of Bauman's arteries. Arrendondo visited him on Monday, The Concord Monitor reports. "I was so happy to see him with his big open-wide eyes and very grateful to be able to hug him and let him know how proud I am of him," Arrendondo said. The paper adds:
When he saw the extent of Bauman’s injuries and the rapid loss of blood, he knew Bauman needed his help the most. He ripped up a sweater and used it to try to stop the bleeding from Bauman’s legs and immediately got the attention of a woman with a wheelchair. He placed Bauman in the chair and began pushing, but the fabric he used as bandages kept getting caught in the wheels ...
“The picture that you see, that’s what it is and that's how it happened, you know,” he said. “I was just trying to help him in every way I could, and thank God he gave me the opportunity to help this beautiful young man.”
Jeff's Hospital Costs Are Getting Crowdsourced — and We're Getting There!
Enough about the very ugly side of Boston crowdsourcing, people: You've raised over $650,000 in Bauman's honor over at Bucks for Bauman. And those dollars will help him get back on track. As The Boston Globe reports, Bauman, who works the deli counter at Costco, has employer-sponsored health insurance to cover his gigantic medical bills — and the wholesale giant "is also matching donations made by colleagues at the chain's Nashua location."