Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Gets Engaged To His Nurse [Video]

Boston Marathon bombing survivor, James Costello, took the worst moment of his life and turned it into the best. Costello, 31, recently got engaged to a nurse who cared for him while he was recovering from the injuries he suffered while watching the April 15th marathon.

In one of the United State’s worst tragedies of 2013, Costello was walking toward the finish line to encourage and cheer on the runners. Surrounded by five of his close friends, they were shocked when the bomb went off. Costello suffered severe burns on his arms and legs in the Boston Marathon bombing. Three of his friends lost legs and the other two also sustained very serious burns and shrapnel wounds.

Costello, a native of Malden, Mass., was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital with many of the other victims. Over the course of two weeks he underwent many surgeries and skin grafts in the hospital. All of the Boston Marathon bombing survivors received a great deal of coverage during this time.

After two weeks, Costello was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where a beautiful traveling nurse named Krista D’Agostino was temporarily working for six-weeks. Costello describes how a relationship between care taker and patient began to blossom:

“I had noticed her in passing, and shortly after that she came into my room to cover a lunch break and change the dressing on my leg, and still no thoughts of (romance). Then, after we realized we had some mutual friends, we started talking, and I invited her to a benefit.”

And what made him fall in love with her? “That smile.”

After several months of dating, Costello invited D’Agostino to join him on a ten day cruise to honor the 114 first responders at the Boston Marathon bombing, their families, and the victims. While in France as part of the cruise, he asked her to marry him. Spoiler alert: she said yes.

“One thing that she hates that I always say is I’m actually glad I got blown up,” Costello told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY Friday. “I wish everyone else didn’t have to, but I don’t think I would have ever met her if I didn’t, so I’m pretty happy.”

What an amazing story of how a tragedy can be used to create something good, even great, in your life.