With the original wedding planned for April 4th, 2020, as the day drew closer Cameron and Micayla knew they’d have to postpone due to social distancing/quarantine policies, so they thought, “Fuck it, let’s elope!”… so that’s exactly what they did!
The couple both have extreme health challenges, so the fact that they pulled this off in such a short amount of time, with everything else going on in the world, puts testament to the fact that there really is only one thing that matters when it comes to getting hitched: LOVE.
“We first met when we were thirteen,” Micayla reminisced. “I was the new kid among an already semi-tight knit group of friends, but Cameron and I hit it off right away. Throughout high school we were always friends, always in the same groups of people, always laughing and having fun. But when I was fifteen, I was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and disappeared into a world that none of my friends could follow. A world of doctors appointments, medication, endless surgeries and being poked and prodded constantly. I came back with a kidney transplant and a new hunger for life!”
“Fast forward to 2017 – Cameron was engaged, meanwhile I was working. We hadn’t seen each other in a hot minute, and we just so happened to be grocery shopping at the same store, same time. We talked for a minute and turns out, Cameron and his fiancé had actually just broken up the day before. After that, we got coffee and started hanging out almost every day.”
“I started dating again while continuing to be best friends with Micayla, but I knew it wasn’t right,” Cameron continued. ”I moved to Buffalo to pursue a relationship, but it fell apart. Micayla and I were still the closest of friends. After two weeks of being in Buffalo, Micayla and I met in Rochester where she asked me if I wanted to be with her. The rest is history! I’ve been head over heels ecstatic and desperately in love with her since then, but really it always has been. I’m unashamed to say she has always had my attention and it is a dream to finally be married to her. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s all because of her. Now, Micayla’s potentially facing another round of kidney failure, and we’ve been looking at our options that we can tackle together. I’m actually currently testing to become her kidney donor – it’s basically just like being in a Hallmark movie!”
After everything was shut down due to the virus, and with Micayla’s health deteriorating, the couple abandoned their original plans and went with what they truly wanted – a simple ceremony with just a few of their nearest and dearest. “Our photographer, Emilee Carpenter, and my family went along with my crazy ideas and made it happen in just a few hours,” Micayla explained. “I’m so thankful for people who understand me.”
“When faced with not only both a personal health crisis, but also a global one, all the annoying things about planning a wedding suddenly seemed insignificant. There was no need for any fuss – we just needed ourselves, our pastor, and our love.”
