If money and fame were indeed everything, then the life of Jeff Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon bombings, has improved since last April's race. In total, he received over $3 million, $2.2 million from One Fund Boston (formed on April 16, 2013 for the sole purpose of providing for marathon victims) and $800,000 in other donations, the New York Times reported. He's also met a host of celebrities, including James Taylor and Pedro Martinez, regularly gets approached for autographs and handshakes, goes on frequent vacations, and even has a book scheduled to be published in April.

Before the explosion, Bauman, 27, was working at Costco, living with his mother, and still waiting to finish his college degree (if ever). He had the same girlfriend he has now. The two bought a house where they currently live, according to the Times, which had reporters and one of its photographers follow him for nine weeks during his recovery.

Except Bauman hasn't only had to deal with the obvious fact of losing his legs, but the darker details behind that reality, such as the extensive physical therapy and the difficult transition into prosthetics. He hasn't always kept with his rehabilitation program, leaving him discouraged and his progress stalled, according to the Times.

Bauman, whose image was immortalized shortly after the bombing as he was being rushed to the hospital with a man in a cowboy hat (the same man with which he would later go to Costa Rica), can currently only walk with both prosthetics and two crutches; he hopes to drop down to one in time, according to the Times.

Despite the life-altering event, his mindset hasn't really changed that much, according to the Times. Though he probably wouldn't have written a book before, he still lives his life on a day-to-day basis with the same easy going personality he had before.