CNN iReport

Our e-Harmony love experience is truly a miracle, because neither of us has ever met another person in the world who has gone through quite what each of us has gone through to be alive today; and yet, even if it weren’t for these common experiences we’d be a perfect match.

We connected through e-Harmony in August, 2008, and are now engaged to be married this coming August, 2009.  What a year it’s been so far! 

Our common miracles:

A nearly fatal ski accident back when I was 17 left me in a coma for 6 days.  An emergency helicopter ride that night from the mountain, and the head of neurosurgery at the hospital saved my life.  Months in hospital and re-habilitation and the amazing support of family and friends enabled me to recover completely!

The morning after prom, my fiancee was involved in an awful, high-speed, highway car accident that flipped their vehicle many times and left her with a fractured skull, punctured/collapsed lungs, severe neck and spinal cord damage, and in a 3-month long coma.  Doctors saved her spine with cutting edge technology and surgical procedures that had never been performed before.  She was paralyzed on her left side for more than a year.  She has learned to walk again, and over the span of years has fully recovered, and now walks 18 miles every Saturday with her mom, because she can!

Throughout each of our recoveries, the love and support of family and friends were paramount to helping us each come through to live complete, enriching, and wonderfully blessed lives again.

e-Harmony's system connected two people whose characters, personalities, spirits, passions, and energies make us a miracle of matches!

The three weeks following our connection by their system, I was busy with family-related travel to my sister’s wedding and seeing my brother’s newborn baby and going camping with family.  But something about her fresh attitude and honesty and her beautiful eyes and smile in her profile kept me very in tune as we went through our Guided Communication process across borders.  We were great at keeping in touch for those few weeks in August.

We were excited to talk by phone for the first time when I got back into town and we made plans to get together on Sunday evening.  I made reservations at the Beach Chalet on Ocean Beach on the west side of San Francisco so that we could have a drink with a nice view of the ocean, before our dinner with a sunset view.

It was truly amazing how well we got along immediately, and how much our views on the world and our values and beliefs lined up.  I couldn’t get over her bright blue eyes and her shining smile all night, and how adorably cute and beautiful she is.  I could sense that she was also feeling a certain chemistry between us as well.  We were making each other laugh and having a tremendously special time.

We had each decided that the stories of our recoveries were not appropriate in the early stages of dating; and certainly not on a first date!  But I felt comfortable asking her about the scar on her neck, and she surprised herself when she felt comfortable telling me all about her accident and her years of recovery.  She says she was confused and concerned to see my eyes begin to well up with the beginning of a few tears as she talked about the amazing support of her family and friends that helped her through those years.  She had no idea at that point how empathetic and connected I could possibly be feeling with her story, and the joy of her recovery and full life today.

Over the weeks following our connection and wonderful first date, we began to discover what truly perfect matches we are, in our senses of humor; empathy for others; passion for new music, tastes, experiences and fun; and our common love of family.  We have so much fun at concerts such as Dave Matthews, wine tastings in the bay area, taking up new sports such as golf and skiing, and meeting each other’s friends and family.

She was able to come home for the holidays with me to meet my extended family, and they all loved her immediately.  They got along as if they’d always known each other!

We’re so excited about our wedding this summer!  We want it to be in celebration of everything that has made us who we are today.  So we’re donating a good portion of the gift registry to charities that are close to our hearts, and have truly helped us be alive today, and together.