You may remember the name Jeff Bauman from the April 15th Boston Marathon bombing tragedy. He's the young man made famous by a photo that went viral. The photo depicted a battered Bauman being helped by Carlos Arrandando—a complete stranger that risked his own life, running towards the blast site. Carlos picked up Jeff (whose legs had been blown off in the blast), put him in a wheelchair and kept him from bleeding out by holding on to his femoral artery. Carlos saved Jeff's life.
Jeff has become something of a hero around Boston. His continued upbeat attitude in the face of adversity is a testament to not only his will to live, but his will to heal, to get moving and to get on with his life. Bauman spent about two weeks in the hospital before he was shipped off to rehab—well before any other injured victim. Now he's home and getting ready for his new legs.
The Red Sox invited both Jeff and his rescuer, Carlos, to throw out the first pitch tonight at Fenway Park. In an interview with
Dennis and Callahan on WEEI a few weeks ago, Jeff said he would do it only if Carlos did it too so they both took the mound. Prior to the first pitch, Pedro Martinez met with the pair and gave Jeff some tips on putting some action on the ball.
David Ortiz served as Carlos' target, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as requested by Jeff, caught his pitch—a fastball right down the middle. Jeff wasn't worried about muffing the pitch though.
He told D and C this morning that if his pitch wasn't that great, Salty would frame it. Looked like no framing was needed for that one. Jeff even called it a strike!
Jeff Bauman is an inspiration. A Boston Strong inspiration.
No comments:
Post a Comment