When Happy-Ever-After Means “Whatever-Comes-After”

At Kim+INK we adore True Love Stories. Like today’s, When Happy-Ever-After means “Whatever Come After.” This is the part where “in sickness or health” becomes reality.

You know, of course, that love really does deepen after marriage.

After the falling in love, after the vows, the commitment, and the real living together.

That’s why we write posts like this one and this one.

Because the real loving begins after the testing of the bond of love.

More Love’s True Stories:

Engaged, Unengaged and Then Finally, a Wedding

When God Chose Their Future: Love’s True Story 3

True Love Never Dies When God Has a Plan

Today’s post is a story about a time that true love deepened.

Because if it hadn’t, their lives would have fallen apart.

When Happy-Ever-After suddenly means “Whatever-Comes-After”

He got up early that Sunday morning, pulled his bike out of the garage and pedaled down the dirt road.

Enjoying the peace and quiet of a country lane, birds greeting the day with wild abandon, and the promise of a warm, sunny day to come.

Finally, he knew he should turn around and go home. To breakfast, his wife, two year old son, and two week old baby. And getting ready to go to worship service.

So even though he was enjoying the solitude for the moment, his heart thrilled at the family he was going home to.

Then, suddenly, he was on the ground.

His legs gave way, and like wet wallpaper, his body and the bike slowly slid downward. He had no control, no real knowing of what happened.

Then he was getting up, weakened, slowly gaining enough strength to push the bike, but not ride. So he got home later than he should have. Later than was good for having a relaxing Sunday morning, preparing for church.

And when he got home, he thought he would just rest on the couch for a while. He felt so wobbly and dizzy. The weakness that comes with getting too hungry, he thought.

His wife, busy with breakfast, brought him the tiny newborn to hold while she set the table. Then, she saw something that unnerved her. His arms were slack, and the baby was sliding off his lap! Even with the Gatorade and crackers she had given him, he was still too weak to stay awake.

Now she knew something was seriously wrong. This was more than hunger. He responded to her, but slowly and a little slurring.

She called a friend, a paramedic. He told her to call an ambulance. Another friend, also a paramedic, came over and agreed with the recommendation. The ambulance took him to the nearest hospital, 30 minutes away.

After some preliminary testing,

they loaded him onto another ambulance and took him to a heart hospital in the city, 3 hours away.

A young mom, a newborn, and a two year old. Left behind to worry and wonder. Would they lose their husband and daddy? What was happening to their strong, dependable man? He never had more than colds or headaches. And the gimp knee that forced him to take bike rides to keep it limber. But a knee couldn’t do this!

Her parents came, and they drove to the city. And waited. Prayed. And worried.

A 29 year old, hard-working, healthy male suddenly in a heart hospital? On the stroke-patient floor?

After a day of intense testing, of him returning to his usual self, the slight slurring disappearing, and no further symptoms, the diagnosis became “PFO.” Patent Foramen Ovale.

Words they had never heard of before. Words that sounded scary. Like a life sentence of something portentous. And even explained, didn’t make sense. How could he live 29 years without any problems, then something he had since he was a baby causes him to fall off his bike on a Sunday morning? Not playing basketball. Not carrying a heavy piece of drywall on his head. But slowly biking home on a country road. This flap between his heart chambers suddenly allows a clot to pass through, travel through his veins, and reach his head. A stroke, simply said. Because that valve didn’t close like it does in 98% of all the baby’s born. And of the 5% who have Patent Foramen Ovale, his, one of about 2% has problems. That’s a very, very small chance. But a huge chance, when it actually happens.

And causes your life to change forever.

Not because something is wrong. Not because the outpatient surgery to fix the valve wasn’t successful. Because it was. Successful, and no lasting effects, no medication prescribed, he was sent home to resume his normal life.

As a couple, can you imagine resuming normal life,

as it was before,

with all your former plans, dreams, hopes, expectations,

when all those have been shaken to the core?

Shaken by an unknown problem that suddenly took $40k out of your bank account with no physical result? Like a new house begun, a new pickup, or a down payment on some land?

That’s the normal, isn’t it? But this, this PFO problem, wasn’t normal. This outer space sounding issue.

And now they go back to normal?

This, young couples engaged to be married,

this is what to expect

when you begin happily ever after.

Not a PFO probably, but something. There’s always something to test a marriage.

To try your love. To test the three fold cord that should never be broken.

And make you wonder if this is “whatever after” instead of what you dreamed of.

And then,

when you have come through that test,

and the cord isn’t broken,

and you discover one morning that the cord is not even frayed,

that in fact it is stronger than ever,

then you know,

you really, really know you will not only live “whatever-comes-after,” you will truly

live happily-ever-after!