Gentle and joyful music filled the room by the Vitamin String Quartet as I tucked my arm
into my dad’s and we walked down a petal-covered aisle. My eyes locked with the man of my dreams, each step bringing me closer to a life beginning with the one I love. The way we looked at one another as I moved closer and closer was filled with pure joy and excitement to spend the rest of our lives together as one.
“For better or for worse.
In sickness and in health.
‘Til death do us part.”
Gladly, willingly, and eagerly we promised these words to each other so we could get to the announcement {and kiss} that would make our marriage official.
Neither of us had a clue what was coming.
“He didn’t sign up for this,” I thought as I tried to process the diagnosis in my head. “How can I ask him to give up everything to help me fight this?”
But I didn’t have to. He just did.
He left his family, put his career on hold, moved to Houston, sold his truck, made sure our home would be moved into storage, drove me to countless appointments, helped me through multiple surgeries, went through training on how to change/clean my {disgusting} dressings daily, lost sleep in my many restless nights, spent days in the hospital, cooked and cleaned for me, made me laugh when I wanted to cry, prayed for me, read to me, encouraged me, listened to me, and many more things. I could go on for hours…
True love reflects compassion, sacrifice, and commitment. He showed me this love. Every single day. He never gave up on me and now, here we are navigating through life post-cancer… together.
I look at him tenderly with grateful eyes. For he didn’t just speak the words he vowed to me years ago; he lived them. And still lives them today.
So this is for you, my Weston:
Thank you for meaning the words you said to me on our wedding day. I’m not sure either of us could have really known what was ahead but you handled it with such grace. You have shown loyalty and love in the most pure way. The foundation of faith that you have lead this family with will stand firm through whatever else may come in the future. I can never say this enough: I am fully and completely yours until death do us part. I love you.
Are you a caregiver? You’re amazing. Keep going! You are changing the life of someone who needs you. Really.
Are you a fighter/survivor? Take some time to say a gigantic thank you to the family, friends, and/or medical team(s) that care/have cared for you!
If you are in need of anything, please send me a message of how I can help or be praying for you. You are in my prayers today.
God bless you!
Sparkle on,
Nicole Body
Sparkly Survivor 
This was amazing. Praying for you and your husband. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
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Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for your prayers and love! And thank you for being part of this story! Please let me know if there is any way that I can be praying for you!
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What a magnificent tribute to your devoted and selfless husband. Wes, you will have crowns to cast at Jesus’ feet when you meet him face to face, because of the way you have loved and served your beautiful wife.
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I learn something from you with every new post. Thank you for opening my eyes to certain things that maybe I’ve neglected. I have a caregiver too that needs to be thanked. He needs to know how much I love and appreciate him for what he does for me!
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Jeanette, you are so encouraging and such a fighter! What an inspiration you are! Caregivers are so special and it can be so easy to forget to thank them especially when they so naturally and lovingly care for us! I am looking forward to finally meeting you so soon!
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Nicole, This was so beautiful. God bless you both! Brandi Moore
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I am so happy to hear you have such a wonderful, caring and empathetic husband and friend. May you both live a long and loving life ♥️
I myself am navigating through stage 3 Cancer. I was diagnosed on March 1st of 2017. Soon after my husband of 14 years told me he was not going to take care of me. He abused me emotionally and physically throughout my chemo treatment and when I asked him to move out to allow me to recover in peace, he refused and soon after hired a lawyer and served me with divorce papers. He then tried to take 100% custody of our 8 year old daughter. During the worst days of treatment, when I could eat or drink or walk or care for myself, I was forced to hire an attorney and today as I continue with my treatment, I find myself in over $50k of debt do to attorneys fees, displaced from our home as he changed the locks and forced my daughter and I out of our home, I am jobless as I was unable to return to work after 6 months off, going through a full custody evaluation which includes a phychiatric testing next week. I am surviving on a small disability income. My child is in therapy.I have 1 1/2 years of treatment left as I have triple negative breast cancer which is very aggressive.
I have had 3 separate chemo treatments and had to stop due to life threatening allergy to the chemo, double mastectomy and 24 lymph nodes removed, 5 weeks of radiation and not 6 months of chemo pills hopefully followed up by 1 year of immunotherapy infusions.
All this and yet I physically fell better than I have in the last 4 years. I am so grateful to see my husband for what he is in the worst of my days. My heart is happy and I feel joy thinking about the beautiful future my daughter have ahead of us. Yes, the fear cancer taking my life lingers in the back of my mind. Those sleepless nights are frequent as my mind is busy and the worries seem to bubble up one after another. I am hoping for the best and planning for the worst and thrilled to wake up each day and spend another day with my amazing child. Life is so unpredictable.
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