As America and the rest of the world continues to mourn the loss of those who died as a result of Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon and the ongoing efforts to bring the suspects to justice, it's important to remember that, for many of the living victims, the nightmare is far from over.
Of the dozens who remain hospitalized days after the attack, seven are still in critical condition.
And all will need a way to pay their mounting medical bills — bills that will continue to pile up over days, week, months, or even years of rehabilitation.
Happily, the Internet has stepped up to lend a hand with covering those expenses, surpassing $1 million in donations in extremely short order.
Campaigns launched through GiveForward.com and GoFundMe.com to assist victims who need donations the most have all exceeded their goals by thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A GiveForward.com page set up for severely wounded newlyweds Patrick and Jessica Downes has raised over $200,000 in less than 24 hours.
Another page launched on GoFundMe.com for injured mother and daughter Celeste and Sydney Corcoran quickly pushed past its original goal of $20,000, and currently stands at nearly $400,000.
Jeff Bauman, the iconic survivor who is being credited with helping authorities identify the suspects, has had just under $200,000 raised on his behalf in the past two days.
And Bauman likely needs the money more than most, considering his is one of the few Massachusetts residents without health coverage.
"All of those people that were wondering what they could do to help, they suddenly had a resource," said GiveForward CEO Desiree Vargas Wrigley. "Most of these campaigns have exploded because of social media."
There are, of course, several other kinds of efforts to raise cash for bombing victims.
Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Tom Menino's The One Fund Boston, for instance, which aims to help all those affected by the bombings.
And the Dropkick Murphys, Boston's official punk rock band, have been able to raise almost $100,000 for victims by selling benefit tees.
100% of all proceeds from the sale of the shirts goes to help the victims and their families, per the band.
[photos via GoFundMe, GiveForward]