“The name was very uncommon, but I couldn’t get it out of my head. I went home and asked my mother, ‘What was the name of that little boy from the wedding?’ The next day, I tapped him on the shoulder. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is the man I want to marry.’”
‘I was the flower girl and he was the ring bearer. We didn’t see each other again for a decade. He looked at me and said, ‘I knew I loved you the moment I met you.’
‘I love you, and I’m home.’ He wrapped me in a warm embrace. We had a fairy tale image of what our life would be. The next year was a whirlwind of emotions.’
“We lived off ramen noodles and ham sandwiches. We slept in forty-five minute increments. ‘I miss us,’ he said. The spark of our honeymoon years quickly faded, and life together felt more like survival.”
‘Despite having 5 beautiful children, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that our family was not complete. I looked around and thought, ‘Surely we have room for one more, right?’
“At only 17 years old, while still a senior in high school, I vividly remember the intense fear I felt when I looked at that pregnancy test. What would become of me? I had always been the good girl – the one that got good grades and followed the rules.”
‘At 15 he was told he had 24 hours to live:’ Couple wed amid illness and hospice
“Mary never left his side.”
