eSCAping Type 1

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary! So, take a trip with me down memory lane…

Starting with a quick proposal story because I’m pretty sure I have the best one:

Ok, so, Cody and I met (and “dated”) in third grade, at the elementary school that just so happened to be across the street from the high school I ended up teaching at. One day in June, he tricked me into going over there after work, where I was met by my favorite elementary teachers welcoming me back to 3rd grade! Cody got down on one knee in front of our old classroom, with our families watching from their spot on the stairs, and I, of course, said Yes!

(Well, actually, I said, “Wrong finger,” but you get the point.)

Onto the wedding!

Now, I had already asked my dad if he was okay with me walking by myself down the aisle. Good call, since he died a few months later… (I swear my siblings are laughing – the Dead Dad Club has a weird sense of humor.)

But I just really didn’t love the objectifying idea of one man “giving me away” to another. I understand the sentimental meaning behind it, it just wasn’t for me.

Looking beautiful while all the people I love watch me marry my favorite guy in the world – yeah, THAT was for me. Unfortunately, my chronic illness had other plans.

You see, the garden set aside for our ceremony was on a slight hill, which meant there were three steps on the path I’d be walking down BY MYSELF to get to the arbor. In a gown and heels. With 60 people staring at me.

One of the first symptoms people with Ataxia face is issues with balance. – walking DOWN stairs quickly becomes a dangerous task. So I highly doubt if those steps crossed anyone else’s mind, but I was pretty terrified. We were outside – there were no walls or furniture I could catch myself with if those small level changes got the best of me.

I had told a few people about my disease, but without an official diagnosis, I felt like I was overexaggerating.

By some lucky chance it called for rain on our wedding day, so our ceremony was moved inside to a room dubbed “The Library” at the last minute. (Thanks, Dad!)

There was a gorgeous staircase my wedding party walked down andddd a nice short flat aisle for yours truly.

Such a perfect solution to my problem.

Now, I had said I only told a few people about my Ataxia… my wedding photographer was one of them.

See, we got married at the height of “Pinterest Wedding” popularity, when action-shot photos were all the rage: I had to explain ahead of time why it was important for her NOT to suggest anything like that in front of my friends. Similarly, we needed to limit our stair poses. And position me holding onto Cody whenever possible.

She did a great job.

Our First Dance was to Adam Sandler’s “I Wanna Grow Old With You” – a PERFECT choice that I’ll always fondly remember.

My favorite moment was my friends and I recreating the viral YouTube dance and Office scene to “Forever” by Chris Brown – something we do at every wedding.

The only song I clearly remember NOT dancing to was the “Cha-Cha Slide” – too much unsupported jumping and turning for me.

I spent those three minutes casually standing by the bar.

Sooooo, basically, I could harp on the fact that this damn disease stopped me from fulfilling ALL of my bridal expectations. I could say that because of Ataxia, the day wasn’t EXACTLY what I always pictured. I could focus on the added anxiety my chronic illness caused, and everything I couldn’t do because of it.

Or, I could just say I had a pretty perfect wedding. Because I did.