Amanda and Troy Martinez connected on Match in 2016, but their love story actually began seven years earlier, in a hospital room. While an emergency center certainly doesn’t sound like the ideal place to meet, for Amanda and Troy, a chance encounter on one of the most harrowing days of Troy’s life set the stage for the love of a lifetime.

In 2009, Amanda was working as an ER nurse at Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield, CA, when she treated a badly injured man who had been in a major car accident. Troy’s pickup truck had been struck head-on by a bus, leaving him with a fractured face, bruised chest and more. His memory of the hospital stay is foggy, but he did recall a blonde nurse taking his vitals.

Fast-forward to 2016: Troy’s daughter set him up with a Match account, and he came across Amanda’s profile — not knowing that she was the nurse who treated him years earlier. Over two months went by, with no one making the first move. Troy had been feeling shy, and was a bit out of practice when it came to dating. Finally, Amanda, who was divorced with kids as well, sent Troy a message. Not long into their conversation, they realized their incredible connection. Amanda didn’t recognize him from his Match profile right away, because when he was in the hospital, Troy’s facial fracture left him bruised and swollen — not looking like himself.

Though they wanted to meet right away, time was not on their side. Again. Work took Troy out of town for two weeks, pushing back their first date, but regular phone calls kept their connection blossoming. After messaging on the app and talking on the phone for weeks, they finally met…for technically the second time. Dinner and dancing at a Mexican restaurant solidified their connection — both say their first date never really ended, because they’ve been inseparable ever since. On knowing Amanda was the one, Troy says, “It’s hard to explain. You just know.”

Coming up on their one-year anniversary as a couple, Troy approached Amanda’s daughters to ask their permission to propose, and then got approval from his own kids — everyone agreed they should be together. On Christmas, they were celebrating and opening gifts with their families. At the end of the day, Troy announced that he had one more present to hand out, and presented Amanda with a ring and heartfelt declaration of his commitment.

Today, Amanda and Troy are happily married, and enjoy traveling with their children (most recently to Disney World and the Dominican Republic). Both avid lovers of the outdoors, they spend precious alone time together in the mountains, fishing and hanging out. Though they have many other shared interests, like music, put simply: they are just in love with each other’s company.