But for Howlong's Farnsworth family it also symbolises sacrifice and the fulfillment of life.

On the 14^th of February 2019 Laura donated a kidney to a stranger so that her husband, Ben, could receive one.

Mr Farnsworth was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease at 13, a condition which runs in his family.

By his late twenties he was in kidney failure, far younger than most with the disease.

Now 39 with four kids, he's endured a failed transplant and countless hours on dialysss and appointments to get to where he is today.

"Unbeknown to me, my mum (Robyn), who was almost 60 at the time, said to our family specialist that she wanted to donate a kidney," Mr Farnsworth said.

"She went through six months of preparation and had to prove that she was fit enough to have the surgery.

"Five days after the surgery the doctor said there was a couple of things they weren't happy with and I could go home or could have a biopsy and stay one more day.

"I was chatting to Laura and at that stage Mia was just turning one and was literally learning to walk in the hospital.

"I had bags packed ready to go thinking everything went well and then the doctor walked in, took one glance at the bag packed on the bed and said, "unpack that, you're not going anywhere, your kidney is starting to reject already."

That then led to a four month stay in Melbourne's Royal Melbourne hospital.

He also lost his father, Greg, who also had the disease.

"He was in hospital at the same time in Epworth, so I'd get out on day release and go across and visit him," he said.

Mr Farnsworth then decided to take a break from treatment, returning home to look after his children.

"I went to play group, went to mum's group and gossiped about all the dads. I read at story time," he said.

But his need for a new kidney grew after being told the other also needed to be removed. That's when Mrs Farnsworth decided to part with hers.

"She was pretty adamant and she's been around a pretty long time, we were high school sweethearts," he said.

"We weren't a match, but there's something called paired kidney exchange.

"There might be seven or eight different pairings that can't match each other, but they go around until they find one.

"The transplant was originally set for January on Mia's first day of school. I said you can say whatever you want but I won't be at the surgery.

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"So on the 14^th of February, Valentines day, Laura donated her Kidney.

"I got the new kidney and it was just like a duck to water, it started up almost instantly."

Now more than a year later, Mr Farnsworth is back playing cricket for Howlong's C-grade side.

In October last year he made his return to the pitch alongside his son, Tyler.

"I was still recovering from mental scars from what I'd been through and was down in the dumps and that's when she (Laura) said you loved cricket when you were younger," he said.

"She said why don't you wander back down and have a go."

He's taken on the affectionate nickname 'Fumbles' and hasn't looked back.

"You have to have a bit of a thick skin because if you drop a catch they get into you fantastically," he said.

"They're a great bunch of blokes here in Howlong."

However, being hit in the wrong spot with the ball and exposure to the sun remain risks for Mr Farnsworth, who now swears by the use of guards and skin coverage.

"The anti-rejection tablets make you susceptible to UV light, so skin cancer becomes a big problem," he said.

"It's a double edge sword."

But it's a sacrifice he's willing to make for his kids to see him active again.

"Letting them see me out doing things, they've been absolutely astounded by it," he said.

"Routine blood tests and medication are pretty easy to handle in comparison to what I had to do."

Mrs Farnsworth agrees it's all been worthwhile.

"The kids get to have a dad that's here and he has that quality time to spend with the kids rather than being hooked up to a machine for hours," she said.

"It's a huge difference for someone who used to sleep all the time and not have any energy at all.

"He's healthy, which is good, but he's mentally healthy too.

"It's made a huge difference for us as a family."

Valentines Day will never be forgotten again.