As we approach the year-and-a-half mark since Alan received his transplant, we feel ready to return to the business of living our lives. One of the things we have always wanted is to formalize our relationship in front of our families and friends.

For a long time, life was largely put on hold as we navigated dialysis and all the challenges that came with it. During that time, survival was the order of the day. We weren’t able to move forward in the ways we had hoped, because so much of our energy was devoted simply to getting through.

Now, we have been given the space—and the gift—of a second chance. We are excited to take this next step, not as a beginning, but as a continuation and formalization of the life we have built together, and to move forward with a renewed sense of what it means to simply live.