Marc Fucarile reached a huge milestone this week: He was one of the last two Boston Marathon survivors to be released from the hospital. Fucarile spent 45 days in Massachusetts General Hospital, and he hopes someday to return to work with a roofing company.
Jen Regan spends time with Marc Fucarile during his hospitalization at Massachusetts General earlier in May (Photo by Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images).
But first he will have to have rehab, and he wonders how he will pay for it.
He lost his right leg, and he鈥檒l get some compensation from a victims鈥� fund called the .聽But the deadline to apply for that is in two weeks, and the full extent of Fucarile鈥檚 injuries 鈥� his left leg was also badly hurt and he suffered head injuries 鈥� will not be known for years.
Almost $38 million has been so far聽to One Fund, and survivors with permanent brain injuries or those who lost both legs will receive more money than single amputees. But the application, based on injuries to date, is due in two weeks and there are no plans to extend the deadline.
Fucarile鈥檚 not complaining, but he鈥檚 also not sure which category fits him.
鈥淭he One Fund鈥檚 a great thing. I can鈥檛 believe how many people have stepped up,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he good that鈥檚 out there in this world is just phenomenal. And, you know we鈥檙e all hurting.聽 I don鈥檛 know what my outcome鈥檚 going to be when I get out of here, and what kind of bills I鈥檓 going to have. And that鈥檚 starting to stress me out.鈥�
From his bed on his last day at , Fucarile described what happened to him on April 15.
By the time a firefighter finished applying a tourniquet to Fucarile鈥檚 leg, all available ambulances had left the marathon finish line full of casualties. A police officer carried Fucarile, his skin still smoldering, to a van typically used to transport prisoners and raced to the hospital. It was a rough ride.
鈥淚 think I might have been on a bench part of the seat, and the firefighter was trying to hold me on there. I don鈥檛 know, I was slamming my head a lot,鈥� Fucarile remembers.
Surgeons told Fucarile that if he had arrived two or three minutes later, he would have died.聽
In the hospital, he endured multiple procedures including surgeries, skin grafts, induced comas and dozens of tests. In rehab, he will have to start rebuilding his arm strength first because his legs are still too damaged for physical therapy.
He looks down and cups the stub of his right thigh, the wound layered in bandages.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still wide open. It hasn鈥檛 been healed or shut yet,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t has its moments where it has sharp pains, and the meds can鈥檛 do nothing about it.鈥�
Fucarile鈥檚 left leg, in a knee-length cast, is red, scarred and still riddled with scrap metal.
鈥淭he left leg is improving.聽It鈥檚 questionable how functional it鈥檚 going to be.聽Potentially I could be a double amputee,鈥� says Fucarile. 鈥淏ut the doctors have a strong hope for it. It鈥檚 going to take me and therapy to get it to really work.鈥�
Family members pack Fucarile鈥檚 room for a send-off.聽Doctors and nurses stop by, too, remembering a charred, mangled man, barely holding onto life. To nurse anesthetist Amanda Heidbreder, who saw him that day in the operating room, Fucarile was simply Distress Patient C.
鈥淚 felt determined that I was going to find out what his name was, who he was, what he was all about, and now I know,鈥� she says.聽鈥淗e鈥檚 an inspiration to a lot of people.聽The evil that happened is not going to beat him. He鈥檚 going to beat it.鈥�
Jen Regan is Fucarile鈥檚 fiancee and the mother of their five-year-old son, Gavin, who cries at night, asking for his dad.聽But on this day, Regan cries too, tears of relief and gratitude.
鈥淓very day鈥檚 been a step forward and then four steps back, and finally we have a solid step forward,鈥� Regan says. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for Gavin to see him in a new place, and, you know, it鈥檚 just a good day.鈥�
Regan and Fucarile hope to marry聽soon. But she鈥檚 told Fucarile it won鈥檛 happen until he鈥檚 ready to dance.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a choice, she鈥檚 going to make me,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ike I said, with one prosthetic or two, I鈥檓 still going to do it.鈥�
Fucarile won鈥檛 know if his left leg can be saved for a year or more.聽He expects therapy and related costs to continue for the rest of his life.
At this point, his share of One Fund probably won鈥檛 come close to covering his costs.聽Fucarile has health insurance, but he worries it won鈥檛 pay all his medical bills.
Like the in the bombing, his a separate fund that has raised almost $150,000. But a state-of-the-art prosthetic limb costs more than $100,000, and they wear out every three years or so.
Fucarile may also be helped by prosthetic makers who to the Boston Marathon survivors.聽
This story is part of a partnership that includes , , and Kaiser Health News.