Weddings are always deemed one of the most special days in a lifetime. It is the beginning of a new chapter and a partnership that lasts forever. What would you do if that partnership was threatened by a cancer diagnosis? This is what Michelle and AJ were facing as a new couple when AJ was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma. It sent them on a path they never expected, together fighting for AJ’s life, and when they finally had the chance to get married, they wanted to help others in the same situation.
The story of how Michelle and AJ met sounds like something right out of a movie. While on a vacation in Chicago, Michelle was out with her friends one night when she noticed a handsome man from across the room. So enamored by the man, Michelle walked right up to him and planted a kiss on him before her friends led her away. The very next night, she would meet her handsome stranger yet again when she happened to pass by him at a restaurant just as he was telling his friends about the beautiful woman that had kissed him the night before. It seemed as if fate had brought Michelle and AJ together. Not long after their meeting, AJ was diagnosed with lymphoma.
They had only spent ten days together in person, but Michelle knew what she had to do. She moved to Chicago to be with AJ and take care of him through it all. Together they dealt with his diagnosis and faced it with positivity. Through this difficult time, they fell in love, and when AJ made it to remission, he proposed to Michelle. After going through such a harrowing experience, they decided they wanted to do something different for their wedding. They wanted to have a Wedding for a Cause and donate money to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
Each vendor they have chosen for the wedding has donated to LRF, and the couple has also requested that everyone make a donation to LRF instead of purchasing wedding gifts. Their fundraising goals have already been exceeded, but they are determined to raise as much money as they can in order to help others “continue their lives and love stories” just like they have been able to do.
Visit their donation page to contribute to LRF and help give hope to those diagnosed with lymphoma.
What a heartwarming story. I wish them many more years of togetherness. I guess you could say that they were really meant to be. I loved how they were able to raise awareness for Lymphoma by asking their wedding guests to donate to the LRF instead of giving them gifts. That is amazing.
Oh wow. What a unique love story this is. Michelle and Aj has shown us about the true meaning of love. I am happy for them that they found each other and battled the obstacles that came their way. It was an awesome idea for them to ask their guests to donate to the LRF in lieu of wedding gifts.