How Tony’s and her love story started was extraordinary, something you can not expect. Living in a small town, it felt like all the faces they saw were familiar, and there were hardly any hopes of meeting new people. What added up even more to disappointments and hopelessness was her disability. It felt like forever, waiting for someone who would love her for who she was, her personality, and her purity, but the world today has gone far, as all that matters is appearance.
She wondered whether she could ever meet someone who wanted to know more about her. On a casual day, she sat curled up on the sofa scrolling through a dating site. She came across Tony in March 2016. Both of them were in a phase of life when they needed someone to hold on to love. They looked forward to communicating and building a bond that could show what it means to be truly loved by someone else. That one chat over the dating website changes the lives of both!
The bond they built was not something she saw coming because of the rare, moderate progeria. The conditions resulted in her aging faster, and the doctors were sure that she would not be able to live long, yet she managed to turn 30! All the odds were defied when this happened, as it was miraculous how she survived countless surgeries, including the one when she had a broken jaw. The difficulties of her life were not limited to her medical condition, as the surroundings and people made her journey more difficult due to bullying. Harsh remarks about her looks were the norm; however, every day she wakes up and chooses to be grateful to God for giving her a chance to live!
After having regular conversations, the two decided to meet. It was a meet-up that made them feel comfortable, a spark they looked for but never found. She was unaware that Tony, too, spent his life battling Type 1 diabetes and was now also diagnosed with aplastic anemia. His condition, too, was life-threatening as the condition is similar to leukemia and had also been doing damage to his bone marrow. In his case, doctors also were sure that he would not be able to make it long; however, with his strength and utmost resilience, Tony ended up being a survivor through multiple chemotherapy rounds and a bone marrow transplant.
Although he did make it through, on the journey, he lost his eyesight and was considered legally blind. The understanding between the two about how challenging the journey of battling a disease can be can significantly strengthen their bond. The understanding level between them was unexpected, yet the most fantastic thing ever; something that made them strong together as a couple. Their frequent meetups and the urge to never end the conversation showed how much they wanted the bond to continue. Who would drive for over an hour every other day to see someone? Definitely someone in love!
After a few months, she made a significant decision: she moved in with Tony, leaving her hometown and loved ones behind. The two worked hard in different shifts wherever they got a chance. Tony also enrolled him in a programme where people with visual impairment were taught life skills, such as living independently and running a business. While he learnt the couple was in a long-distance relationship, which made the love grow even stronger, and so, in March 2017, Tony ended up asking her father for permission to marry.
The fear of not experiencing love for the rest of her life was fading as she observed how Tony made so many efforts to make her feel loved despite his own issues. On November 18, 2017, the couple made it official by getting married, and while the challenges never stop, they know their love is not materialistic, and they were destined to fall in love!
