Injured in the Boston marathon bombing, Roseann was helped by a firefighter. They went on to marry.

On April 15, 2013, Roseann Sdoia decided to spend Patriot's Day the same way she had done for the past 15 years — watching a baseball game, before heading over to Boston's street bars to watch the iconic Boston marathon with friends.

Nothing felt out of the ordinary. Then Sdoia's life changed completely when she got caught up in the Boston marathon bombings.

Two homemade bombs exploded around 200 metres away from the finish line of the annual race. It killed three people, and injured several hundred others — including dozens who lost limbs. 

Sdoia was just steps away from the second blast. As a result, she had to have her right leg amputated above the knee.

But soon, Boston firefighter named Mike Materia, who was a first responder at the scene, was by her side. He held her hand and lifted her into the truck to go to hospital, determined to help in any way he could.

Sdoia said to New York Post: "I asked him if I was going to die. And he told me that I was going to be okay, that I only had a flesh wound."

Watch: American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing. Post continues below.

Materia said that in the midst of all the chaos, he was trying to do everything he could to help the survivors. But when he saw Roseann, he immediately felt a connection.

"I noticed that she was cute, instantly when I first met her. When I picked you (Roseann Sdoia) up off the street on Boylston Street," Materia said in an interview with NBC Boston alongside Sdoia. 

"It was such a tragic day and you just wanted to do something. If it was like, to make Roseann smile or the rest of the family happy or drive someone to get, sandwiches or whatever; whatever I could do, it was just something to help."

The next few weeks and months were a blur for Sdoia, who was in hospital getting rehabilitation on her leg. Materia said he would routinely come and check on Sdoia.

Sdoia recounted: "In the hospital, my mum tried to set me up with him. She was like, 'Oh, did you see that firefighter? He's so cute.' And I was like, 'Mum, I just got blown up'. I knew I was starting to have feelings for him because he was so kind and caring. And he has an unbelievable smile."

Eventually, that care and kindness turned into a relationship, and the pair began dating in late 2013.

Fast forward to today, and there's been a proposal and a wedding. 

When asked by NBC Boston what his favourite thing is about Sdoia, Materia said: "It's her laugh. I always know where she is. She laughs so much. It's a genuine laugh and it happens a lot."

Sdoia went on to write a book Perfect Strangers about her story, and how Materia and her worlds collided in the most challenging of circumstances. 

Image: @robostrongsdoia / website.

This year marks a decade since the Boston marathon bombing.

On April 15, 2013, domestic terrorists Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev detonated two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line, killing three people and injuring hundreds more. 

And this week, Netflix released their new docuseries American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing which follows the event, the people behind the attack and the survivors' lives today.

Today, Sdoia and Materia  say they bring out the best in one another.

"I think that he's just so kind and caring, and he just is very endearing and has been so supportive of me,'' Sdoia said to TODAY. 

"He hasn't told me that there's nothing I can do. When you have a situation as having your leg blown off a lot of things change for you personally, mentally, physically, and none of that has been an issue for him. We pushed each other through."

Feature Image: Supplied / Instagram @robostrongsdoia.

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