was 23-year-old rob wheeler who took the shirt off his back and wrapped it around 51-year-old ron brassard'sinjured leg. >> when i looked down and saw what was happening there, at that moment i absolutely needed someone to help me. that someone was rob. >> reporter: brassard stood near the finish line with his wife and daughter to cheer a friend. wheeler wasn't even supposed to run the race. a friend who couldn't make it gave the college senior his spot. >> i hope i don't get banned from the boston marathon for this one. >> reporter: fate slowed wheeler down. his knee locked up here along mile 16. he helped a woman who fell at mile 25, and he crossed the finish line just two minutes before the first bomb went off. >> i didn't have a scratch on me. you don't think, can i help someone or shouldn't i? you're there, you do that. >> reporter: his wife karen and daughter suffered shrapnel injuries. ron will keep his leg, but now the man who's always been the caretaker, needs care. >> logically, i know there is too much pride. but it's been a difficult week for me. it's been a difficult week. >> re

shortly after the attack i met with ron brassard, and he and his family there to cheer on a friend.dn't -- i see people's mouths moving and stuff but i couldn't hear anything. >> how close were you to the first it. >> i think we were probably ten feet away. the noise was, i think, scarier than the plast itself because it was so loud. >> i wanted to share his story with you again. we called the hospital, ron is in good condition. he does need more surgery. but he's said to be doing well. we have been taking time out to remember the victims of the bombings. i'm joined by dr. sanjay gupta joining us on the phone right now. sanjay, just this information we've got in the tweet from the u.s. attorney's office saying the hospital, beth israel, upgraded the suspect's condition to fair. what does that tell you? what does that mean? >> yeah, you know, when you go from serious condition, which means that the person's vital signs looking at the heart rate, blood pressure, things like that, are stable but still going up and down a bit, a little bit concerning, still requiring intensive care unit