On 17 March 2017, he woke up in the middle of the night. Something felt off while he watched his wife sleep peacefully and adore her. His heart felt heavier than usual, and all those feelings, the tightened chest, all made sense when, just in the next few moments, he observed that Wendy, his wife, struggled to breathe normally.
She was gasping for breath despite being in deep sleep. The discomfort worried him, so he tried waking her up, assuming it could be due to a bad dream.
The husband, with a racing heartbeat, kept calling her name and shaking her a bit, but nothing seemed to work. He immediately called for help, and till the time they arrived, having little knowledge of the process, he tried performing CPR.
What came next was something he could never have been prepared for. Wendy, a beautiful 36-year-old woman, had passed away, leaving her sons and the love of her life all alone.
The couple had been married for over 13 years, but their love story had been going on for decades, as they were high school sweethearts. The way Wendy loved him not only helped him overcome his alcohol addiction but also turned his life around, strengthening his faith and love for God.
After years, his life felt more stable, and his perspectives changed. The news made him feel like all the happiness he found because of Wendy’s presence had now been permanently removed. Loneliness had taken over, and the grief kept getting stronger.
He often pondered how people heal from losing the person they loved so much, as for him, things did not seem to get better until he received a message.
The person’s name was familiar, but it was from someone he had never met. Erin Stoffel survived an attack in 2015. It killed Erin’s husband, Jon, and her daughter, Olivia. She was also shot thrice to protect the other two children, but she was a survivor. The thought of losing your partner and a child was scary, but she messaged to offer comfort.
It was something that people usually do not do, especially when they’re in so much pain. Her message did not just leave him stunned, but now he also firmly believed that he could still stand firm while honouring Wendy and be a source of comfort for people.
He decided to reply, and they eventually began to chat more often. The first time they met was at a Christian music festival, and when they met, both felt like God had sent them to heal each other. The emptiness in their lives could be filled! Their children also bonded well together. While they watched their children laugh, play, and get back to life, it felt like they, too, were healing each other.
One year after their conversation began, he thought it was finally time to propose, as the blended family of eight was perfect! He proposed to Erin on 28 July 2018, and since then, each family member has healed and found purpose in life, which could not have been possible without each other’s presence.
