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Real-life Notebook couple remarries after hubby with Alzheimer’s pops the question again

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PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA.
PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA.

In what sounds much like the plot of the 2004 romantic movie The Notebook, a New Zealand couple got hitched for the second time after the husband forgot he was married to his wife of 34 years – and popped the question again!

Alzheimer’s sufferer Michael Joyce (68) has chronic memory loss and struggles to remember day-to-day events. But he miraculously remembered that he had re-proposed to the love of his life, Linda (64), every day for a week after popping the question on 14 January.

Friends, family and the community rallied together to organise a short notice vow-renewal ceremony for the Scottish-born pair, who now live in New Zealand. They tied the knot in Hamilton Lake in front of 15 guests on 20 January.

Michael, a former electrician, has faced an “uphill battle” since being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010. The symptoms of his conditions include disorientation, mood swings and aphasia, which impairs his ability to express and understand written and spoken language.

Linda says she was “absolutely overjoyed and incredibly touched” when her husband of 34 years proposed to her again! And she was even more amazed when he remembered the entire thing the next morning – a rare occurrence.

Linda, a former veterinary drug representative, immigrated to New Zealand as a child.

She remembers the day of his second proposal to her. “Michael had gone to bed really early and he often gets quite restless during the night, so he came out a few hours later looking dazed and confused.

“There was something just different about him and the way he was looking at me. I looked into his eyes and asked him what was wrong, and I could see he was trying to ask me something, but he just couldn’t quite get the words out.

“So I held his hand and asked him, ‘What is it, my darling? What are you trying to tell me?’

“He looked at me with tears in his eyes and with a stutter he said, ‘Will you marry me?’

“I was absolutely gobsmacked and totally speechless for a minute. But of course, I just told him, ‘Yes, my darling, I’d be delighted to marry you.’

“He then truly blew me away when he asked me, ‘When?’ So instantly I just said, ‘How about this weekend?’

She says she thought it was just one of those things to do with his Alzheimer’s but was amazed when the next morning Michael woke up and remembered everything – he was even excited for their wedding day.

“It was miraculous. He remembered every day for a week. The Alzheimer’s had made him so forgetful, so it really stunned me,” Linda says.

Michael is classed as being in the later stages of Alzheimer’s which makes remembering the proposal nothing short of miraculous.

“And on the day of our ceremony he woke up and said to me, ‘Today’s the day.’ He was so happy.

“In his head and in his heart, it was what he wanted to do. He wanted to get married. I’m absolutely in awe of him. We’ve been through so much and it’s been a heart-breaking journey, but this was so special for both of us.”

Linda and Michael were both born in Glasgow, Scotland, with Linda immigrating to New Zealand as a child and Michael making the big move to Auckland just before their first wedding in 1984.

The pair tied the knot again in a beautiful and heartfelt held at Hamilton Lake, 150 km south of the nation’s capital, Auckland.  

The event featured music from Michael’s favourite movie, Forrest Gump, which he watches every day, and the couple had their first dance to traditional Scottish bagpipes playing Flower of Scotland.

Linda and Michael’s short-notice ceremony was made possible with the generous help of members of the community who donated their services for free.

“It was such a special day and I’ll never forget it,” Linda says. “We take our wedding vows very seriously and will always be there for each other in sickness and in health.”

Linda said Michael is the “kindest soul God has ever put breath into” and it hurts her to see him suffering from this cruel disease.

“I know in my heart that if the shoe was on the other foot he would be there for me always. It has been extremely difficult, but we get through it together. Whenever I look at him my heart just feels full. I feel so lucky to be married to such an amazing man.

“We were just meant to be. We’re devoted to each other forever and I’ll love him until the end of time. Love truly conquers all.”

 

 

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