How did your love story begin?

My aunt knew my husband from a college trip to Turkey. They became friends and bonded over him and my cousin both having cerebral palsy. I was living at my aunt’s house when she invited him over for dinner. We both happened to be single at the time. The moment I saw him, and he made me laugh, it was instant chemistry. We saw each other a couple of times after that, all arranged by my aunt. And on the 3rd meeting, he FINALLY asked me to be his girlfriend. And the rest is history! He is my rock!

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

This seems stereotypical, but our wedding day! We got married in May of 2021. 2 months prior, we had to cancel all of our plans for the wedding due to Covid lockdown. We instead decided to elope and go back to where it began. Estes Park, CO. Where he first told me he loves me, and where he proposed to me several years after. We may have lost all our deposits for having to cancel, but that day in Rocky Mountain National Park surrounded by our close family, we said our vows. And it was perfect!

What would you do with $20,000?

We would put the $20,000 toward our infertility journey to help pay for either adoption, surrogacy, or another round of IVF. I have unexplained infertility, and we have been trying for over 5 years to have a child of our own. 2 rounds of IVF, and 2 miscarriages later, we have been through so much. But we refuse to give up. The only thing that’s stopping us from continuing is finances. We can’t come close to affording an additional $30k for a shot at creating our family.