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A Truly Beautiful Valentine

Yesterday was the best Valentine's Day! I didn't get roses or a kiss from a special someone. Heck - there isn't even a special someone at all! But yesterday I saw first-hand what Valentine's Day, and love, are truly about.

An amazing friend of mine has stood by her boyfriend's side for the last year and a half as he has battled cancer. Their story wasn't supposed to play out like this. They fell in love. They were supposed to get married and live happily ever after with beautiful fat babies. Right? Isn't that how a love story is supposed to go?

But that's not how their story went. He got cancer. And their story changed forever. Instead of planning a wedding and savoring the giddy moments of a growing love, she gave up her entire life to be by his side every step of the way. She has slept on hospital beds for weeks during his chemo treatments. She has organized fundraiser after fundraiser, sold her car and given up everything of monetary value to raise money for the bone marrow transplant he needed to save his life but insurance refused to cover. Words cannot even begin to express the level of sacrifice, loyalty and love she has shown.

And yesterday, I went to her house at 9:35 at night. I found her in sweats and a hat, cleaning her house. She had been cleaning for hours and hours - disinfecting every inch and preparing for today. Today he will be released from the hospital. He is completely immunocompromised after an intense 3 weeks in the hospital for a full bone marrow transplant. And for the next 100 days, he will be staying in the spare bedroom of her Mom's house so she can continue to be by his side and help him through his recovery.

I hope and pray that some day their story will yet hold a magnificent wedding, beautiful fat babies and days of bliss. I hope future Valentine's Days will bring roses, fancy dinners and romantic get aways for them. But today, Valentine's Day looks like disinfectants, vacuum cleaners and washrags. Today, true love looks like sweats and a baseball cap.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

Comments

Dave Cebrowski said…
Very nice story. Give your friend a hug. People often focus only on the patient, and not realize that the caregiver, spouse, girlfriend, etc is under as much stress, and at the very least, emotional pain, as the patient. They need our prayers too; prayers for strength, peace, patience, courage.
February 16, 2012 at 10:08 AM
Baby Sister said…
That is such a beautiful story!! I hope it turns out well for them as well.
March 5, 2012 at 9:59 PM
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