In Sickness and Health

by Chaylee M (she/her) Idaho, US

I am getting married on May 24th, 2025 and I can’t help but think of the vow, “in sickness and in health.” Most people repeat the vow without thinking about it on a deeper level, but I have to.

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 18. My joints ache and crack. My body swells. My skin flakes. My life will always contain sickness. However, I don’t just think my partner will uphold the promise to stay through it all, because I KNOW he will.

He knew me before. Before, I could stay up all night and dance without a care in the world. When I could multitask and do anything I put my mind to.

ID: Chaylee wearing a white wedding dress holding a bouquet of blue flowers standing in a field outside.

He was also there when everything changed.

When I first got sick he washed my hair, he cooked my meals, and he still kissed my swollen face. When I began treatment he went to my appointments, he advocated for me, and he held my hand as I grieved my old body and life.

So when I walk down the aisle in my big white dress and slip that ring on my tender finger, I KNOW that I will be okay. I also KNOW that what I have found is rare–that the unconditional love he has for me is something that I will never take for granted.

He may not understand my chronic pain, yet he is my partner. I am not my disease, but it is something that we both will have to deal with until death do us part.

IG: @spoonfulofgems