Jeff Bauman, one of the best-known survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, had some good news to share with the world Sunday. He's getting engaged to his longtime girlfriend, and they're expecting a child.
Bauman and his fiancee Erin Hurley announced the news on his charity's official Facebook page. The baby is due in July, and the couple is planning a 2015 wedding.
Bauman was at the Boston Marathon last year to cheer on Hurley. He lost both legs in the attack. "I hear a pop, and then I'm lifting myself up off my back. I didn't know what was going on." (Via The New York Times)
The sight of a severely injured Bauman being wheeled away from the scene quickly became an emblematic image of the attacks. And Bauman's description from his hospital bed of bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev helped authorities narrow their investigation. (Via Bloomberg, The Telegraph)
Healing from his injuries has been grueling for Bauman, but in the process he's become a symbol of strength and unity for a still-wounded Boston. Parade magazine obtained an excerpt from Bauman's upcoming book "Stronger," in which he discusses how the bombing changed his life.
"Everyone that day took care of me. They are the heroes, because they gave me the chance to prove that I—that we—are better than cowards with bombs. That we’re not broken. And we’re not afraid. We’re stronger."
Bauman's book is due April 8, one week before the anniversary of the bombings.
