The Beginning

I celebrated my 11th anniversary of turning 29 this year — and honestly, I’m leaning into it. I’ve been married to the love of my life, Gary, for 18 years now, which still feels a little wild considering we were basically babies when we got married.

We met sophomore year at Bethel University and quickly became best friends. We were both walking through difficult family situations at the time, and somehow my witty sarcasm and his dry humor became the perfect combination. That friendship became the foundation for everything we’ve built together and, truthfully, the thing that has carried us through some incredibly hard seasons.

We got married a few days before Christmas in northern Minnesota during what felt like the most magical winter day imaginable. Snow-covered trees, giant snowflakes during the reception, and eventually a full-on blizzard that stranded our guests in town. It was the perfect beginning for two optimistic 21-year-olds who thought they had life all figured out.

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When Everything Changed

Then life reminded us very quickly that very little actually goes according to plan.

A little over a year into our marriage, I became extremely ill. After years of searching for answers and traveling across the country to specialists, I was finally diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease after testing through a lab in Germany.

What followed were years of fighting to regain my health after significant neurological, cardiovascular, and joint complications. During that time, Gary worked multiple jobs, finished graduate school, and somehow became my caregiver while still making me laugh daily. Watching him walk through those years beside me taught me more about sacrificial love than I could ever put into words.

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Walking Through Loss

Over the years, we faced more health challenges, surgeries, heartbreak, and disappointments than we ever expected. One of the more tender chapters of our story came during our journey toward growing our family.

After experiencing a miscarriage, I found myself walking through the strange tension of heartbreak and joy at the exact same time. Around the season of our loss, both of my sisters were expecting babies. Their pregnancies should have lined up almost perfectly with ours, and while I was genuinely so excited for them, there were moments when my heart felt completely shattered too.

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Learning to Hold Joy and Grief

I remember praying often that bitterness and jealousy would never take root in me — that I would still be able to celebrate the incredible gift their children were, even while grieving the baby we lost. And somehow, through God’s grace, He made space for both grief and joy to exist together.

When my nephew was born shortly before our own due date would have arrived, something in my heart softened. Gary and I eventually moved back closer to family so we could be part of those everyday moments — birthday parties, coffee dates, chaotic living room dance parties, sports games, and little arms running toward me yelling “AUNTIE!” at the top of their lungs.

While our journey to parenthood hasn’t looked the way we once imagined, those years taught me so much about love, resilience, faith, and the beauty of showing up for others even while carrying your own heartbreak.

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A Heart Pushed to the Edge

Not long after, another unexpected chapter unfolded. Medication used during fertility treatments severely damaged my heart, causing dangerous heart rhythm issues, heart failure, and ministrokes. Suddenly our lives became filled with trips to Mayo Clinic, endless appointments, uncertainty, and fear.

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A Miraculous Turn

Two heart surgeries later, I became one of the first patients in North America to undergo an experimental cardiac procedure, with a team of specialists flying in from Belgium to assist the surgeons. It was terrifying and miraculous all at once.

Recovery was long and slow, but piece by piece, I got my life back. And one year after that surgery, Gary and I crossed the finish line of a half marathon together.

That moment meant so much more than 13.1 miles.

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Still Choosing Joy

Life still feels a little like a rollercoaster sometimes. Just when things feel stable, another unexpected twist seems to come along. But through every high and low, my faith, a positive attitude, and Gary have carried me through.

We’ve learned how to laugh in the middle of hard things, how to keep showing up when life feels heavy, and how to hold onto hope even when the future looks uncertain.

I don’t have a perfectly polished story, but I do have a story filled with resilience, faithfulness, humor, perseverance, and love. And honestly, I’m incredibly grateful for all of it. Every challenge has shaped me into someone more compassionate, more grounded, and more aware of just how precious life really is.

These days, I’m still choosing joy, still choosing faith, still laughing at Gary’s dry humor, and still believing that even the hardest stories can hold incredible beauty.

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