Joel and Lindsey were patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 25 years ago. Lindsey was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was 10, and Joel was diagnosed with a cancerous bone tumour when he was 7 and would lose his right arm. “It had grown large enough that it broke a bone in my arm near my shoulder,” Joel told the news station WREG.
Speaking about how they found friendship and comfort in each other, and grew closer over the years, the couple couldn’t be any cuter.
They became friends during the course of their cancer treatment at the hospital but not one of them imagined for their friendship to develop into a romantic relationship.
“When I met this guy, when I was in treatment, I admired him,” Lindsey said. “I looked up to him, I thought he was such an incredible person. We grew in our friendship over the years.”
After many years, both of them had started working at the hospital and had more feelings for each other than what a friendship could accommodate. Joel made the bold move to tell Lindsey that he takes interest in her and would like to pursue her in a romantic relationship.
“I was finally brave enough to tell her that I liked her, not only that I loved her. Luckily she felt the same way,” Joel said.
“I could have never fathomed that I would be sitting her today at his side as his wife, having the privilege to married on the grounds of the place that saved our lives,” Lindsey said.
Both Joel and Lindsey were sure that the hospital was the perfect venue for their wedding day and there was no timing as perfect as September 1, the first day of the National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“I get teary-eyed thinking about it. I think there’s no better marriage of a city and a place than there is between Memphis and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital”, said Joel.
Lindsey and Joel had invited former cancer patients to their wedding. They hope and believe that their story of beating cancer and finding love encourages and builds the strength of all those people out there who are battling cancer.
Watch their story here.
Story : WREG
