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Boston bombing survivor Jeff Bauman finishes first race since the attack, pushes hero's wheelchair

Jeff Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, finished his first race since the attack by walking with prosthetic legs along with Carlos Arredondo, the man who pushed him to safety.
/ Source: TODAY

Boston Marathon hero Carlos Arredondo was nearing the finish line at a road race in Massachusetts on Saturday when he got an extra push from a man he helped save during the attack.

Jeff Bauman, walking on a pair of prosthetic legs, finished his first race since the Boston Marathon bombing by helping to push his friend and rescuer's wheelchair to the finish line, the Boston Herald reported.

"You have to stay positive and keep moving forward,'' Bauman, who walked the mile-long race, told NBC Boston affiliate WHDH.

Arredondo was using the wheelchair in the Runners World Classic Celebrity Mile in Andover, Massachusetts, as he recovers from leg surgery.

Bauman was watching his wife, Erin, run in the Boston Marathon in 2013 when he was badly injured in the first of the two bomb blasts. Arredondo put tourniquets on both of Bauman's legs and helped rush him to safety.

A photo of the moment became one of the iconic images of heroism in the aftermath of the bombing.

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"Today was amazing," Arredondo told the Herald. "The community is amazing. It’s nice to see everyone supporting each other."

Carlos Arredondo in the cowboy hat, pushes Jeff Bauman
An emergency responder and volunteers, including Carlos Arredondo in the cowboy hat, push Jeff Bauman in a wheel chair after he was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013 in Boston. At least three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and more than 170 were wounded when two bombs blew up seconds apart.Charles Krupa / AP

Adrianne Haslet, who lost her left leg below the knee in the attack, also participated in the race along with Bill Richard, the father of Martin Richard, 8, who died in the bombing.

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Bauman has been a source of inspiration in his recovery from the bombing by maintaining a relentlessly positive attitude.

"I think it's just a mental thing,'' Bauman told WHDH. "Obviously everyone has their sad days, but you can't be sad for more than one or two days or else it will become (regular) behavior."

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