ABC News.(NEW YORK) — The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing cost Roseann Sdoia her leg, but she found a gift that will be hers forever as a result.
The firefighter who rescued Roseann, Mike Matera, just became her fiancé in December.
Now, the two are going to celebrate their engagement by running in the 40th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up.
Sdoia met her future husband when he rescued her from the second bombing. He visited her in the hospital, met her family, and the two eventually began a relationship. It resulted in him proposing to her in Nantucket in early December.
Sdoia spoke with ABC News about the run. Over 200 participants from around the world will race 86 floors, taking more than 1,500 steps and travelling over one thousand feet.
Nearly four years later, she’s partnered with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a non-profit that provides opportunities and support to people facing physical challenges. She’s trying new activities, such as learning Italian, that she says can help raise her self-esteem and give her a sense of purpose. Sdoia credits the foundation for helping her and so many others try new and rewarding activities.
Sdoia and her fiancé will run on February 1, 2017.
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