David

There are people who come into your life for a reason, and then there are people who make you believe in fate.

David came into my life in February, and from the very beginning it felt like kismet. The similarities between our lives, our stories, and even the smallest details kept revealing themselves one after another. Some things are just too improbable to explain any other way.

His love for me has been unwavering from the very start. I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me a little apprehensive at first. Given my history, unconditional love felt unfamiliar. But he never wavered. Not before my diagnosis, and certainly not after it.

And then chemo gave him plenty of opportunities to prove exactly what that kind of love looks like.

There were days when I couldn’t stand up without feeling like I was going to faint. Days when I couldn’t safely shower by myself or even shave my own legs. Things that I had done my entire life without thinking required someone else’s help.

And David just stepped in.

He has taken care of me through some of the most vulnerable moments of my life with careful hands and an even more careful heart. He helped me stand. He helped me shower. He shaved my legs when I couldn’t do it myself. He cared for me in ways I never imagined I would need to be cared for, and somehow never made me feel helpless in the process.

He has never once made any of it feel like a burden. He has never asked for anything in return except to be loved back.

When my doctors explained that I would need a dedicated caregiver for my stem cell transplant in Houston, David didn't hesitate for a second. Before I could even process what they were asking, he had already volunteered. There wasn't a discussion. There wasn't a pause. There was simply, "I'll be there."

Every day he somehow manages to make me laugh inside these hospital walls. And every hug from him resets my nervous system in a way I can't explain. Those hugs have become my favorite part of every single day.

Thank you for loving me exactly as I am, through the easy days and the impossibly hard ones. You are my safe place, my biggest supporter, and my greatest adventure ❤️

P.S. Since I know there are a few people who follow these updates out of curiosity rather than concern: my medical information is private. Leukemia is not contagious, and the chemotherapy being carefully infused into my veins is not something that can be transmitted to another person. The children in my life are not at risk from spending time with me. I appreciate everyone's concern, but my healthcare decisions and medical status are matters between me and my medical team.