LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Decades of memories, five kids, and two grand-babies were all built on more than 40 years of love for Matt and Maria Choman. The Wilkes-Barre couple has been side-by-side since their teens.
"That goes all the way back to our days in high school. I was on the basketball team; she was a cheerleader. we just started dating," said Matt.
As with any love story, it doesn't come without its challenges. For Matt, it was a foot infection back in 2016 that started the Chomans' darkest times.
"Basically, the way they approached it was, they had to worry about saving my life, and then they could worry about saving my foot," said Matt. "Because the priority at that point when I was septic was, I was in a lot of trouble."
That sepsis and the medication to treat it eventually caused Matt's kidneys to fail. He started dialysis at home for nearly 11 hours every day.
"I always had normal kidney function, normal kidney studies. I never had issues whatsoever, so my life changed literally in a 48-hour period," the transplant recipient added.
Matt's next step was to wait on the donor transplant list. Until they finally found a match, that was closer than they ever expected.
"And honestly, I didn't think I'd be a match because I'm not related, you know, a blood relative. So when they called me and told me I was a match, I was just so excited," said Maria.
"No one's been able to quantify what the chances are. Some places have told us it's probably in an excess of 100,000 to one," added Matt.
The couple was delayed nearly three years before going under the knife at the University of Pennsylvania. When they finally got the call around this time last year.
"They said, 'How about February 14?'. We looked at each other and said, 'Really? perfect!' So, it couldn't have been any better," said Matt.
Maria underwent a 6 1/2-hour surgery before Matt received her kidney. The two recovered together for weeks. Now, a year later, the transplant is still successful.
"One of the kids asked before the surgery, are you nervous? And I, I was actually excited. I was excited to do it," recalled Maria.
This Valentine's Day, the couple is celebrating their first 'kidney-versary'. Where life looks different, in the best ways.
"In a word, it's freedom," said Matt.
Over the past year, the two have been raising awareness about organ donation.
They're also making another lifetime of memories, all thanks to the most selfless act of love.
"We talked about 'well, what're we going to do for our anniversary?' Because our 40th wedding anniversary is coming up this year too. It's like, 'Oh, we'll go away on a vacation or something like that'," said Matt. "That's such a trivial comparison to the sacrifice Maria made. It's a debt I'll never be able to repay. "
Matt and Maria knew for more than 40 years that they had found the love of their life. This surgery is proof that the two are truly, the 'perfect match'.