This Boston Marathon bombing survivor is going to marry the fireman who saved her

A happy ending to a tragic story.
(Image credit: iStock)

As Roseann Sdoia lay in a hospital bed in April 2013, love was the last thing on her mind. She was recovering from the amputation of her right leg, having been badly wounded in the Boston Marathon bombing. But Sdoia's mother was impressed with the fireman, Mike Materia, who'd accompanied her injured daughter to the hospital. "She was like, 'He's so cute,'" said Sdoia. "And I was like, 'Mom, I just got blown up.'" Materia, 37, continued to check in on Sdoia, 48. As the weeks passed, the pair fell for each other and recently got engaged. "I do feel that things happen for a reason," says Sdoia.

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Christina Colizza

Christina Colizza is chief researcher and writer at The Week magazine.