Roseann was a spectator at the Boston Marathon in 2013. She was near the finish line when the bombs went off, and her leg was badly damaged.
Mike was the firefighter who aided Roseann that day. He accompanied her to the hospital where she would later have her leg amputated. Mike visited Roseann a couple times while she recovered.
Roseann’s mom took notice of Mike’s attentions toward her daughter. “In the hospital, my mom tried to set me up with him,” Roseann shares.
“She was like, ‘Oh, did you see that firefighter? He’s so cute.’ And I was like, ‘Mom, I just got blown up.’ ”
But it turns out Roseann’s mom was onto something. A couple months after Roseann’s injury, she and Mike started dating. Mike even helped her find a prosthetist who helped her literally get back on her feet. And after three and a half years of dating, Mike proposed to Roseann.
The now-engaged couple recently participated in an annual race at the Empire State Building where they ascended the 1,576 stairs to benefit charity. The race has been a big part of Roseann’s recovery.
Couples who go through a traumatic event together are often drawn closer because of those events. “He’s seen me on my worst day,” says Roseann. Together, Mike and Roseann have moved forward after Roseann’s injury, and are happily building a life together.