BOSTON — A Boston Marathon bombing survivor and the man who saved his life teamed up again Saturday for a commencement speech, telling the new graduates of Fisher College to “keep running forward.”
Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in last year’s attacks, told the crowded auditorium in Boston how his life was turned upside-down 13 months ago. He wasn’t sure whether he would ever walk again, but he never gave up, he said.
“We are all running a marathon in one way or another,” said Bauman, who now wears prosthetics. “Today, you are at the finish line of one race, but life is full of starting lines and heartbreak hills. You just have to keep running forward.”
Bauman and Carlos Arredondo became symbols of courage April 15, 2013. Arredondo, who was donning a cowboy hat and passing out American flags when the bombs exploded near the finish line, rushed to save Bauman in a moment captured in an Associated Press photo.
In the hospital, Bauman helped authorities identify the bombing suspects.
On Saturday, Bauman and Arredondo beamed as they were presented with honorary college degrees. Neither had graduated from college. The pair held their diplomas tight as about 200 Fisher College graduates walked across the stage.
