Connect How did your love story begin?

Frank and I met nearly 30 years ago at work. His girlfriend became a close friend, and we stayed in touch over the years. After she was diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer, I promised her on her deathbed that I would always look out for her son. Two years later, her son played cupid and encouraged his dad to ask me out. I initially said no, but their persistence—and their love—won me over. The rest is history.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Our wedding and honeymoon were especially meaningful. My husband and I both married for the first time in our 50s after years of facing chronic illnesses—he with Crohn's disease and I with appendix cancer—and more than 10 surgeries during our courtship. Thankfully, we were both in remission for our wedding and able to celebrate our new chapter in our dream destination, Rome, Italy. It was everything we had hoped for—a beautiful celebration of our love and our health.

What would you do with $20,000?

Travel. Travel often, & don't wait for the "perfect" time. I was diagnosed with incurable cancer. Right now, I'm doing well, but I know that one day it will return. I don't know when that day will come—whether it's months or years from now—but living with that uncertainty has changed the way I see the world. We're choosing to live as fully as we can. We want to see beautiful places, experience new cultures, watch sunsets we've never seen before, and fill our lives w/ as many memories as possible