Not all love stories go quite according to plan, and sometimes setbacks and hard times only cause that love to stand out and appear even more beautiful. Here is a love story of a couple from the United Kingdom that will have you reaching for a tissue.
A beautician named Martine Kilminster had been suffering from back pain for several months, which at first, was thought to have been caused by a pinched nerve.
“It wasn’t until I flew to Benidorm at the end of August that things took a turn for the worst. I ended up coming home early as I suddenly lost the feeling in my legs. As soon as I had scans on my spine it was revealed that there was a huge tumor crushing my spinal cord.”
Doctors diagnosed her with a stage 4 spinal glioblastoma, a type of deadly cancer.
Less than a month later, Martine lost all feeling in her legs and was paralyzed from the waist down, and she was told she had less than two years to live. As devastating as the news was, she and her fiance Christopher decided to focus on something positive and began planning their wedding.
The couple from Bradford, West Yorkshire, had been together for 10 years and had had two beautiful sons together, but somehow they had never gotten around to getting married. Now, things had changed.
After the ceremony, on Oct. 28, 2017, it came time for that traditional first dance, and Christopher had a surprise in store for his new bride. “I had no idea that Christopher was going to pick up out of my wheelchair, but it was an amazing surprise,” said Martine.
The couple had chosen the Aerosmith song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”
“Christopher struggled to get me out of my wheelchair at first, but once he’d picked me up properly we were able to enjoy our first dance. Everyone around us was crying and despite it being an emotional day, I loved every second,” she said.
Christopher was determined to make his bride’s day special and it would become a lasting memory for them.
“I’m paralyzed from the waist down but Christopher still managed to ensure we had our first dance in each other’s arms,” said Martine.
“I never imagined I'd spend my wedding day in a wheelchair but it was perfect. I have the most amazing sons, husband, friends and family and to me, that’s all that matters.”
The young couple made the internet collectively shed tears as the bittersweet love scene unfolded to the words of the song:
Despite her condition, Martine maintained a cheerful spirit.
Sadly, Martine passed away on Feb. 13, 2019, at just 29 years of age.
