Beyond the Finish Line
July 8, 2013 2:07 PM   Subscribe

The NYTimes tracks the recovery of Jeff Bauman, one of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing
posted by Blazecock Pileon (15 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
I read this earlier today. James Taylor annoyed me:
“You should sit back and let people do what they can,” Taylor said, “because it makes people feel good — like they’re doing something.”

Bauman nodded and stared at the ground.
I thought, huh, Taylor is doing a benefit concert. Because it makes him feel good, like he's doing something. That's the important part, right?

And I was very uncomfortable with the exchange between Bauman and his girlfriend where he suggested buying a house.

At the time, I may have read about what happened to his girlfriend's roommates, Lawler and Mahoney, but I don't recall and I wish the article had said some more about them, especially as it mentions that they were all there and Mahoney was injured.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:24 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


When I saw that first photo of him, the one of him in the wheelchair, I was at work and I nearly passed out. I wished I hadn't seen it.

I couldn't believe he'd survived. It's stunning, really.

I hope he keeps surviving.
posted by vitabellosi at 2:26 PM on July 8, 2013 [7 favorites]


Why the fuck is a reporter in the room while they are removing his sutures.
posted by bq at 2:48 PM on July 8, 2013


I didn't have the same reaction to Taylor's comment--I thought it was wise advice to a guy who might be seeming a little antsy and eager to get out on his own. Sometimes when you're sick or injured, you push away those who want to help and maybe Taylor saw that in him.
posted by etaoin at 3:02 PM on July 8, 2013 [5 favorites]


From reading this profile I get the idea that Jeff Bauman is not the kind of guy who wants a profile done on himself.
posted by ghostbikes at 3:14 PM on July 8, 2013 [8 favorites]


It's as good a story as it can be right now, and I'm glad I read it. He got fast help at the scene, good medical treatment, a strongly supportive financial public reaction, and friends and family who have stood by him. That this happened breaks my heart, but in many ways his recovery to date is a happy ending. A real life style happy ending, not the magical return of his prior life and abilities I wish we could give him.

I appreciate the good reporting job here. The photos are great -- tough to take but a fair depiction. And it is a lot easier to see these photos than be Jeff Bauman.

I'm glad Taylor took the time to appear for the event and to talk to Bauman. I also hope Bauman is eventually able to reconcile himself to some further operations if they can restore his hearing.
posted by bearwife at 3:15 PM on July 8, 2013


Arredondo was one of a group of people interviewed in Runner's World. Turns out he was there to support a friend who was running to benefit a suicide prevention group (his younger son committed suicide) and also to support a group of National Guardsmen who were walking the route with the effects of several men killed in action, including Arredondo's elder son.
posted by janey47 at 3:44 PM on July 8, 2013 [2 favorites]


I'm glad that Bauman agreed to do the article. As a runner, our community is beginning to feel the distance from Boston, and while we all have more than one "Boston Strong" (or something like it) shirt to train in now, it's important to remember not just what was done to our spectators, but that there are people who are forever changed by what happened.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:10 PM on July 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


His story was compelling from the beginning, but this picture from when he took time out of his recovery to drop by Sydney Corcoran's 18th birthday party in the hospital really made me feel all Team Bauman-y. The thought that he heard about it and not only wanted to show his support by coming, but somehow made sure to bring a present, really solidified his awesomeness credentials.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 4:11 PM on July 8, 2013 [4 favorites]


Huh. Fellow's a good friend of a coworker of mine. The radio interviews with him in the weeks right after the bombing are heart-warmingly dry and hilarious. The guy's likable.
posted by es_de_bah at 4:45 PM on July 8, 2013


It's a rare person that comes out as well as he did from a NYT profile. It's pretty clear that he's a solid guy who was dealt a pretty harsh blow and who seems to be recovering in a totally realistic way. I hope he's able to figure out what his new path is going to look like--thanks in part to this profile, I really wish the guy well.
posted by librarylis at 4:55 PM on July 8, 2013


Something in my eye...
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:52 PM on July 8, 2013


I agree with some of the comments upthread, but as a piece of journalism and photography that takes you inside the recovery experience, that was incredible.
posted by colie at 1:31 AM on July 9, 2013


Kind of surprised (and a little sad) to see this story get so little traction here, after how much it consumed the community right after the bombings. How quickly we forget.
posted by AwkwardPause at 9:47 AM on July 9, 2013


Today is the first time I felt like I could look at that photo. Holy cow. Good luck, Bauman, and God bless; you're due for a break.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:43 PM on July 9, 2013


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