Connect How did your love story begin?

The day we met, I received the text that my grandmother had passed. Steven, a stranger who had just entered my life, didn’t flinch; he offered to go to the funeral with me. He stood by my side when he knew no one, and we’ve been inseparable since. For 11 years, we’ve navigated relentless heartbreak—losing my sister and grandparents to COVID, my father shortly after, and the grueling war against his addiction. We faced our demons and stayed. Now we are finally getting married after all the chaos.

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

Our favorite memory is the epic road trip from Chicago to New York in 2016. After he’d proposed to me in California, I wanted to turn the tables for my birthday. I bought him a ring, determined to propose at the very top of the Empire State Building. After the elevators, we faced those final, grueling flights of stairs to reach the summit. Panting and breathless, I pulled out the ring. He laughed, "Are you proposing?" I managed a "Yes." We have a photo of that moment—us, red-faced, happy as ever

What would you do with $20,000?

Winning this money would be the miracle we’ve prayed for. For over a decade, we’ve built a life together as a blended family, blessed by his two beautiful daughters who mean the world to us. Yet, we carry the silent ache of my infertility. We have dreamed of having a child together, but the immense financial toll and the heartbreaks we’ve endured kept that dream out of reach. This money would go directly toward adoption, finally completing our family. It would turn our story into a new beginning