We first met in high school English class in 2010. Marlene will tell you: "Ethan was a bright, blue-eyed, blonde-haired guy in class. He was not very talkative, and I was the one that wouldn’t stop talking. I remember choosing him for teamwork in class because I thought he would know all the answers to the questions. But I was wrong! He kept asking me to hang out and we went on our very first date at the Santa Monica Pier. I remember being so cold and at that time that my fingers turned purple, but that didn't matter... I was on the best first date. After our first date we were inseparable. He became my safe space, my best friend, and I couldn’t imagine myself without him."

Marlene and Ethan’s love story has been rocky for reasons outside of their control, but through it all, they have never given up on each other. Their story is one of teamwork, perseverance, and enduring love. When she was 18 years old, Marlene knew something was wrong with her health, but couldn’t figure out what it was. No doctor would diagnose her. She suffered multiple miscarriages and thought “what did I do wrong?” Ethan, heartbroken along with her, still stuck by her side everyday. But in 2015, Marlene was referred to a Dermatologist because she was experiencing tightness in the skin on her legs and feet. Immediately, the doctor could tell what was wrong and she muttered the words that would change their lives forever: “I’m sorry sweetheart, but you have Scleroderma.” Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body to produce too much collagen, a protein that makes up connective tissues. This leads to the development of thick, hard skin, and can affect internal organs. At the time of her appointment, Marlene did not know what this all meant. She’d already had to give up her dreams of college and becoming an FBI agent and lost so much. She saw multiple doctors who tried to slow the progression of her disease. But nothing changed. Ethan helped her return to school to get her Associates Degree and become a Pharmacy Technician. She was set to make the best of the situation life dealt her. But one day in 2018, things changed. She reached to grab a medication, and she felt a sharp pain in her left arm and she couldn’t breathe or speak. She frantically drove to urgent care terrified about what was happening. There she learned her left lung collapsed and an ambulance rushed to take her away to the hospital. The doctors called Ethan who initially thought they were joking. He rushed to the hospital, tearful and terrified. Marlene was also terrified—not of what would happen to her, but what would happen to Ethan if she weren’t there. By 2019, her lung capacity dropped to thirty-one percent. Her body was tightening all around her lungs. But also, other health issues developed including: Idiopathic pulmonary Fibrosis CREST Syndrome Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Lupus Ectrodactyly syndrome Acid Reflux Pulmonary Hypertension In 2020, Ethan and Marlene moved to New Mexico with their two fur babies and spent special time with Ethan’s father who loved and cared for them. They grew happy, and life began to settle down. But the next year, Ethan’s father unexpectedly passed away. Burdened with unimaginable tragedy, they grieved together. They were grateful for their time with him, but they realized life was short. In all the hurt they’d lived through, at least they had each other. The couple returned to California knowing they could not ever fill the emptiness that they’d experienced. Today, Marlene’s health is dwindling and they don’t know how much time she has left on this Earth. She says: “In my mindset, if I’m going to go, then I want to go out with a bang and leave something to Ethan that I know he will always remember and cherish. My wish is for a proper wedding that we could not afford when we were teenagers. In my time of sadness, I always look above to heaven and talk to Ethan's dad. I say to God ‘I’ve got this!’ I still very much have faith.”

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