Our love story began in February 2018, when Kyle and I met on Tinder. At first, I thought I wouldn’t message him, but the next day, he sent me a message that caught my attention, and I was excited to reply. We talked for several days before exchanging Snapchats. I didn’t rush into giving my phone number.
As we kept talking, we started forming a connection. Then, I found that my older brother and Kyle’s brother knew my older brother. That made me better. It feels so free and happy. Then I asked my brother if he thought Kyle was a good person so I could go with him. Then my brother said yes, you can go; he is a good guy. Still nervous, I brought my best friend Jantson to meet Kyle at a bar where another friend worked. I figured it was safer that way.
When we arrived, Kyle was sitting in his white Volkswagen GTI. I was feeling so nervous because I never had a date with a disabled person. Even though she was unable to walk, she was in a wheelchair, and I didn’t know how to act or what to say. But once we met. We felt each other; we were happy talking for hours, and things went great. We talked for hours, and he stayed at my place until 3:30 a.m. After that, we were attached for the minimum time we got to know each other. We saw each other daily and quickly started spending most nights at each other’s places.
After spending more time together, we lived in the same apartment. We shared an apartment with Jantson and his partner and got our first pet, a dog named Rocco. We were not financially strong; we had just $100 for groceries, but we were happy. Over time, things got better. Kyle got a great job offer, and my business grew. Life began to stabilize.
After dating for one year, Kyle bought a ring in 2018. He kept it for a whole month to propose to her in a different way, wanting to make it memorable. In March 2019, I went for a pedicure with a friend, not knowing what was coming. We went to the same bar where we had our first date. After a long wait, Kyle suggested we stay for a burlesque show. When the show ended, the announcer invited Kyle and Cortney; I was pretty nervous then.
Kyle took the mic and said, “From the moment I met you, I want to spend my whole life with you.” Then he proposed. Of course, I said yes! We picked our wedding date of November 2, 2019, so we spent 8 months preparing for our wedding. It was stressful but so worth it. Our wedding was as we dreamed, as we planned it together, like dreams were coming true. After a fun night, we ate chicken strips in our hotel room.
Our honeymoon in California was magical. We decided to go to Disneyland, go to museums, and do some sightseeing. Being in an integrated relationship isn’t as difficult as people think. We do everything regular couples do, just in our way. Some assume I’m Kyle’s caregiver, but he’s very independent. The only thing I help with is reaching high places!
Many people think disabled people lack the feelings to enjoy life like normal people. What matters most is motivation and effort. We should teach our children to correct other disabilities to motivate them, support them, and love them without saying anything strange.
