It’s a sad fact of life that nobody gets through it without hearing at least some kind of devastating news. But one such example that seems to affect almost every family at some point is the realization that one of our loved ones now faces a fatal disease.
And while cancer hardly has a monopoly on these kinds of tragic situations , it’s nonetheless one of the more common dangers that can potentially affect anyone. But people are defined less by the terrible things that happened to them and more by the choices they make in weathering the uncertain storms they find themselves in.
That’s what makes one young couple’s story so deeply inspiring as they remain determined to let their love shine through even the challenges that seem the most hopeless.
As far back as the first year they met, 20-year-old Isabella Cristobal and Sergio Soto could tell that things wouldn’t be easy for them.
As Good Morning America reported , Soto would be diagnosed with a form of pre-leukemia called myelodysplastic syndrome not long after the couple met at a friend’s quinceanera at the age of 15.
According to the National Cancer Institute, this diagnosis meant that the blood cells in Soto’s bone marrow weren’t capable of maturing.
This would be the start of Soto’s long journey through relapses, chemotherapy treatments and bone marrow transplants.
And through every step of that journey, Cristobal has remained firmly by his side.
In her words, “I didn’t see a sick person, I saw a very positive and confident man that kept moving forward despite the pains, despite the cancer. He changed my perspective on life.”
She also said that they’ve been able to lead as normal of a relationship as they have thanks to a nonprofit called Family House at Mission Bay.
This organization aims to provide comfort to those dealing with life-threatening illnesses and it’s been instrumental in making dates and other moments the couple has shared together possible.
And while Soto and Cristobal have already felt like a married couple for a while, they wanted to give their friends and family their first opportunity to celebrate their love at an official wedding.
Sadly, Soto would discover that his leukemia had spread and put him in a terminal situation just weeks before this wedding took place.
Nonetheless, the couple forged ahead and exchanged passionate vows at a private ceremony on September 7.
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As Soto reportedly said to Christobal at the time, “I love you so much and I hope we can spend our life together for as long as we can.”
For her part, Christobal has been steadfast in not letting this grim news stand in the way of making the most out of life and love.
As she put it, “Just because you have a life-threatening illness doesn’t mean you can’t do the things you want.”
h/t: Good Morning America
