When a wedding is in the air, stress tends to abound for the couple at the center of it. But while it can be easy for minor inconveniences to pile up until they seem unbearable, some couples will face an unfortunate reality during their engagement that makes all those problems seem microscopic.
And for those couples, that reality is that either one of them or someone who means the world to both of them will become diagnosed with cancer .
It’s true that this isn’t the only ailment that can make a couple’s future seem ominous, but it’s both common enough and serious enough that it’s instantly an overwhelming shock when it happens.
But while one couple is now sharing this pain in the most literal way possible, they’re forging ahead with inspiring optimism.
On Boxing Day of 2020, Clay Slenk of Michigan proposed to Mariah Nelesen.
According to People , the couple then began what they described as a long engagement and were planning to get married on June 10.
And by January, they were sure enough about this date that they sent out invitations to their loved ones.
However, it wasn’t long after they did this that both Slenk and Nelesen received phone calls that changed everything.
On January 11, Nelesen was told that she had ovarian cancer. Just eight days later, Slenk would receive his own call informing him that he had acute myeloid leukemia.
Both would require surgery and chemotherapy, but Slenk’s treatment had to be more immediate and it left him spending over 40 days in the hospital. In that time, Nelesen arranged to have her eggs frozen in preparation for her own operation.
And since Slenk is due to have a stem cell transplant before their wedding’s original date, the couple has rescheduled the big day for April 9 so they can go through the “hard part” together.
But while the nature and timing of their news would overwhelm so many people, Slenk said he and Nelesen are staying positive about what’s to come.
As Slenk put it, “Why be angry? If I’m angry and frustrated and down and negative, all it’s going to do is make this day that much worse.”
Although the couple has since thrown out the more elaborate plans they once had in favor of a simple cookout, they say their diagnoses have shown them what’s really important.
Slenk added that he’s also rewritten his vows, saying, “There’ll be a little more sickness before the health, but that’s alright.”
A GoFundMe campaign started on the couple’s behalf has already exceeded its $25,000 goal and brought in $32,556 at the time of this writing. This money will not only go to the couple’s medical bills, but also home payments, lost income, and to support their wedding and honeymoon.
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As Slenk said, “It won’t be easy going forward, but we know that it’ll be more meaningful to go through it together.”
h/t: People
