In 2015, I had just left an abusive marriage. After several failures, I had decided not to pursue another long-term relationship. At that time, a friend of mine was always talking to me about her brother & told me that he had recently ended an engagement. She insisted that we should meet up because we are "so alike" & "neither want commitment". We ended up at the same Halloween party, at his sister's house, the same friend, where we finally met. Ten years later, we're still inseparable.

Over the last 5 years we lost our son, our home flooded by Hurricane Helene, & then 2 heart attacks & a stroke last year. Strangely enough, our favorite memory was when I was recovering in the hospital from my stroke. I had to relearn to speak & discern language (aphasia). He left that morning to shower & bring me a change of clothes. When he returned, he had balloons, a hat that said "bad hair day", & a tan colored bear. As if a toddler, I yelled, "OATMEAL!" & threw my arms around the bear!

We have been renting since the beginning of our relationship (10 years now) and due to my past health issues, we have been unable to recover our savings for a down payment for a home. If we were to win the contest, we would finally have the ability to purchase our first home. It would be a fresh new start and a blessing beyond our comprehension!