“We learned to laugh to keep our home happy. But most of all, we kept our faith first and we stayed in prayer.”
Two years ago Lisa’s health began to decline due to polycystic kidney disease, which she was diagnosed with in her mid-20s. Aſter years of having no symp- toms, her ankle swelled three times its normal size in the spring of 2012. “Aſter seven months, six doctors, six diagnoses and six treatment plans, I was still unable to walk on it and in excruciating pain. The seventh doctor diagnosed me with gout and discovered I was in kidney failure (and had been all along). We later learned that my kidneys weigh approximately 50 pounds due to the cyst growth, causing them to fail.” As soon as she received word that she would need a new kidney, Speed stepped in to fill the position. “It wasn’t a decision for me; I wanted to be first in line. My testing took five months all the while her kidneys were getting weaker. I received the call on her birthday telling me I was her perfect match, and it was without a doubt one of the happiest moments in my life. I have been in the position when a member of my family was critically ill, and having that feeling of not being able to do anything to help them is paralyzing. I never had any doubt that I would be her match; it all just felt really natural. What an honor it was to be able to give my wife this giſt of life. I felt like somehow I was saying thank you for all she’s done.” She adds, “God has a plan for our lives. He knew that Speed would be my husband long before I did. We’re just living out His plan. God destined us to be together for His bigger purpose and that was proven when I needed a kidney and he was my perfect match. The doctor said that he was as close a match as my mother would be – tell me that’s not a God thing! I love Speed with all my heart and soul.” What she loves most about him is his sense of humor and his never-ending
love for family. “I cherish the fact that he would rather be with our family than anywhere else.” He loves how nice she is to everyone she meets and how easy she is to trust. “Complete strangers feel like they can tell her anything. I also love how passionate she is. She just has a presence about her that makes you want to be around her.” Aſter 35 years together, they’ve maintained a spark. “We laugh – a lot. Laughter is sexy and Speed is super sexy! I still get that little flip in my stomach when I see him and that excites me that I’m still crazy about him!” He adds, “I’ll have to admit it took me a while to figure it out, but I realized that it’s the little things in life that make her happy. Doing them the way that she likes them done lets her know that I thought about her. It could be some- thing as simple as making the bed and putting all of the throw pillows in just the right places. I don’t understand why they need to be that way, but I like to see her happy. If the pillows do it, then I want to do that for her. She has made me so happy all of these years. I love her more now than I ever have. I can’t imagine not having Lisa in my life, she’s everything to me. She’s a wife, mother, grandmother, doctor, business owner, household manager, counselor and best friend. She holds us together.” Lisa concludes: “Our married life has been a wonderful, challenging, and
gratifying experience. Our circumstances have molded us into the couple that we are. We chose to rise above our circumstances and live in faith and hope. It doesn’t mean that we always get it right - far from it. But it does mean that we’ll never stop trying. Speed, thank you for living out our vows. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I don’t think we imagined we’d live out each one but we have and for as hard as some days have been, I love you for loving me through it all.”
shemagazine.com February 2014 125
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