After spending four days in the Intensive Care Unit at Boston Children's Hospital, the Martinez family of an 11-year-old boy injured in the blasts had some good news to cheer about Thursday.
Aaron Hern, 11, is doing much better medically, and he had a special visitor surprise him in his hospital room.
The First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama visited Aaron Thursday afternoon, to the thrill of his family.
Mrs. Obama accompanied her husband Pres. Barack Obama to Boston to take part in a church service Thursday morning. The couple then split up in the afternoon and paid visits to several hospitals in the city. Mrs. Obama visited Boston Children's Hospital where she met with the Herns.
Aaron's doctors said he is doing much better. Surgeons were able to close the largest shrapnel wound on his leg during a second operation on Wednesday, according to mulitple reports from the family.
His mom's Facebook post said this was a "huge step forward."
The family said the 11-year-old boy might even be able to leave the ICU on Friday.
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Aaron was with his father, Alan, his sister, Abby, and two family friends cheering on his mom, Katherine, as she finished the marathon when he was hit by shrapnel from the second bomb during Monday's twin blasts at the Boston Marathon.
His dad said he was just six feet away from the device.
MORE: Boston Marathon Coverage
Here is his mother's entire Facebook post:
Hi everyone! Busy and exciting morning. Aaron is almost completely "unhooked" from everything. Off oxygen, catheter, neck brace, etc. all that's left is pain medicine and fluids. Huge step forward. He may be out of the ICU as early as tomorrow. Physical therapy folks came in and started talking about what we have to do there. For now he will start out slow with just sitting up and turning in bed. Still not sure exactly how long we'll be here but sounding shorter than longer!"
Aaron's grandmother told NBC Bay Area earlier this week that she was flying to Boston Thursday to be with the family.
Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital have said he would be in the hospital for seven to ten days.
Aaron turns 12 on May 1 and the family hoped to be able to be back home in the Bay Area by then.
Alan Hern appeared on the Today Show Wednesday along with Aaron's doctor.
The Hern family is well known in Martinez.
Alan Hern is the football coach at Alhambra High School. Katherine Hern is a member of the Kiwanis club and active fundraiser in the community.
Aaron's classmates at Martinez Junior High spent time this week making get-well cards. The school also is collecting money to help the family pay for an unplanned extended stay in Boston while Aaron recovers.
Aaron's grandmother said he is a good athlete and on a traveling Pony League baseball team.
Meanwhile, community members in Martinez are also scrambling to help in any way they can.
Roxanne Cole, the owner of restaurant and wine bar Roxx on Main, welcomed diners to the business for a fundraiser for the family during the lunch and dinner hours on Tuesday.
Employees at the restaurant, located at 627 Main St., worked for free on Tuesday, and other local businesses, including Chairs for Affairs, donated supplies, Cole said.
"If you know anything about Martinez, we're a very tight-knit community, and I wanted to do something to help," she said.
She said the event netted $4,500, with all proceeds going to help cover the family's transportation and housing expenses.
Cole said she would continue to hold the same fundraiser each Tuesday until the Hern family returns home. Community members may also drop off donations at the restaurant until a donation fund is established, she said.
The public will have more chances to dine and donate to the Herns at a fundraiser at Mountain Mike's Pizza at 1160 Arnold Drive in Martinez today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fundraiser will continue every day through Sunday.
Sunday through Wednesday, customers at Kinder's Meats and BBQ throughout Contra Costa County can donate 15 percent of each purchase to the Hern family.
