Giveaway Winners: Martina and AJ

Remember how I was involved with this great wedding giveaway? Well the winners were voted upon, and this oh-so-deserving couple won!

I'll post more of their engagement pictures later, but I just wanted you to have a chance to get to know them first. So, grab a tissue and get ready to meet one of the sweetest couples of all time:

AJ and I met three years ago while doing one of the things we love most—

serving others. This was no ordinary encounter because this service project was

defined by my Cambodian heritage and my religion. As we helped translate English

and Khmer for missionaries going out into the field, a connection began between us.

AJ admitted he was shy to ask me out and only with the extra push of a friend did he

garner the courage to ask me out on our first date. So much has happened since the

pitter-patter of our hearts began during those first realizations that there was

something special between us.

Over our first year of dating, our love and ability to support each other

through thick and thin grew and manifested itself through typical events and

activities of college students, such as school projects, finals, and meeting each

other’s families. Yet nothing could prepare us for the challenge that we would

encounter in our second year of dating.

Our relationship grew exponentially when tragedy struck on February 5,

2009, the day that I was involved in a snowboarding accident. I went off a jump too

fast and fell flat on my back after rolling around a few times. I hit the hard and icy

surface with such force that I was rushed to the hospital on life-flight, barely

conscious. AJ was notified and he was there at the hospital as the helicopter landed.

The doctors prepared to conduct surgery on me immediately. As I drifted in and out

of consciousness, our fear of the prognosis increased because neither AJ nor I knew

what to expect. Two days later, when I was conscious again, I learned of the severity

of my fall’s impact. I had shattered aspects of my vertebrae, and severed my spinal

cord. I would not be able to walk for an uncertain amount of time.

I struggled with my new reality at first, spending many days in the hospital

crying in despair. I lost a lot of hope and questioned things in my life. I had a hard

time grasping how I would be able to pursue my life goals, or how I would continue

with my life after this accident in such, what I thought were at the time, unbearable,

life-changing conditions. The lowest point of my life was when my doctor came to

me and declared my injury, permanent.

I had my bouts of depression, feeling alone and hurt in this experience, as

everything was happening so fast. But I realized how lucky I was because AJ was

always there by my side. He came to visit me everyday. He even sat in the waiting

room on the difficult days when I did not want to see or talk to anyone. He was

always there to encourage me and help remind me that miracles occurred in

different forms. He helped me realize that the miracle of this incident was being

able to find myself during my darkest days, overcoming this obstacle, and also

becoming a stronger person. While even some of my extended family members had

their doubts about our relationship because of my physical state, our relationship

grew stronger nonetheless. We have learned how to handle new challenges and

have become each other’s greatest companion.

It has been almost two years since my accident. I continue to struggle with

miniscule tasks of daily life, such as getting in and out of the house and using the

restroom, which is why I often rely on AJ to help me with these daily tasks. He has

been quite positive and eager to learn how he can help me, and he tries his best to

accommodate me. Being with AJ through this life-changing obstacle has made all

the difference, and ultimately, our love has served as armor, shielding us from the

storm ahead.