In 2009, Gateway Center had a Rock Your Reception Contest for the Gateway Bridal Show. Engaged couples entered the contest by sharing their love story. Out of all the entries, we picked a "Top 3" stories and then invited the public to vote for the winner. The winner of that contest was Nikki & Tom.
There truly could not have been a more deserving couple...
Nikki was diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 25. She began a long battle to fight for her life. And, Tom stood by her side the entire time. Their love grew as they rode this roller coaster together. Their story touched the lives of all of those that knew them and even those who did not. Their love endured through thick and thin and it was so inspiring.
Sadly, Nikki recently lost her battle with cancer. I may not have known Nikki and Tom very well, but what I do know is how much they are loved. I remember the outpouring of care and concern from the nearly 500 people that voted for them to win the contest.
In honor of Nikki and the love that Nikki and Tom shared, I wanted to share their love story that Nikki entered the contest with. I hope this love story will inspire people to not take one minute of their lives for granted and to hold on tight to their loved ones.
Nikki & Tom's Story:
For better or for worse-a vow most couples have only really seen one side of when they eagerly commit to each other on their wedding day. No one ever plans for that “worse” side of the “better.” When I first met Tom six years ago on my 21st birthday, neither of us could have ever foreseen the wonderful, and yet tumultuous road ahead of us.
Tom and I have shared a million wonderful experiences together; we’ve traveled together, and celebrated together. In many ways we’ve become adults together, finishing college, searching for careers and finding a life together. He is my best friend, and a wonderful man. I can’t imagine my life without him. However I’m inclined to believe that the true test of a lasting relationship isn’t how amazing it is when things are good, but rather how two people come together when things are bad.
Tom was holding my hand a year and a half ago when the doctor came into my hospital room to tell me that at the age of 25 I had cancer. I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, and the outlook did not look good. He looked at me and said, “We can beat this.” Tom was by my side through debilitating rounds of chemotherapy that left me weak and extremely sick. When he couldn’t be with me because of his job, he would sit on the phone with me for hours until I was able to fall asleep. He held me when I cried, and told me every day how beautiful I was despite the fact I no longer had hair. He was at the hospital with me through a rough surgery, and he celebrated with me when I was told the cancer was gone. Two short months later, he cried with me when we found out the cancer was back. He was by my side through another difficult surgery, and when I was admitted to the hospital for a month to undergo high-dose chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant, he slept next to my hospital bed every night. He held me tight and told me not to give up when we found out these did not work, and the cancer had spread.
Through much of this we had been working to plan a June 2009 wedding, a goal that kept me focused on getting past all this. While in the hospital I surrounded myself with bridal magazines and we dreamed about all the details we wanted, all the time knowing how uncertain the future really is. After much talk, Tom and I decided that while we still wanted to work toward our June wedding, we also wanted to spend as much time as we could as husband and wife. We eloped in September, one day before the 6 year anniversary of our first meeting. We decided to keep our June date, but if we’ve learned anything it’s that life is unpredictable. It is very important to us to celebrate our love with all of our family and friends in June, and we are still excitedly planning our wedding.
In July I started a new kind of chemotherapy. By October we were seeing wonderful results. Tom was by my side December 9th when I had my very last round of this new treatment. I left the hospital cancer free, and in remission. We have no idea what the future will hold, but we do know how strong our love is for one another. We’ve battled through the “worse” and we are cherishing the “better.” We are counting down the days to our wedding in June, and hopefully a long life together.
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Thankfully, Nikki and Tom were able to have the wedding that they had dreamed of. The pictures from their special day (see above) were captured by Nikki & Tom's wedding photographers (and friends) Karin & Roger Doolin with Starry Eyed Studios.
