We met in patient care long before we ever became nurses. In the summer of 2018, between my sophomore and junior year of college, I took a job at a long-term care facility to earn clinical hours for a future career in medicine. On my very first day, I met Matthew — and, as fate would have it, he was assigned to train me. From the beginning, we connected through our shared approach to caring for others. Matthew showed me the importance of patience and gentleness in nursing, while I brought my own curiosity, empathy, and desire to truly understand each patient’s needs. Together, we learned that great care isn’t just about tasks — it’s about treating every person as an individual. That summer, our bond grew quietly. We spent our breaks together watching The Sound of Music and Avatar, always in 30-minute increments, stretching the time we had. There was an undeniable spark between us, but when summer ended, I had to return to college, and long distance didn’t feel like the right step at the time. Even so, we never completely lost touch. We checked in on each other, sharing milestones and dreams as they unfolded. Matthew earned his LPN and fell deeper in love with nursing, while I continued my education, gaining experiences that shaped the kind of health care professional I hoped to become. Though our paths weren’t perfectly aligned yet, they kept circling back to each other. When I graduated college in May of 2020, Matthew was working on the front lines during the COVID pandemic, and I was continuing my own professional journey in healthcare. Even from a distance, we supported one another, sharing the challenges, growth, and perspective that came with caring for others during such an unprecedented time. In the summer of 2021, I was asked to return once more to the long-term care facility. By then, I was single — and once again, we found our way back to each other. This time, everything felt different. We were more grounded, more sure of ourselves, and ready to move forward together. By the end of that summer, we were officially together and building a future side by side. Soon after, we moved into a cozy apartment in Media, where we both returned to school to pursue our nursing degrees — and proudly graduated together as RNs. Today, I work at Penn Medicine in Neuro, and Matthew works at Temple in Trauma. As nurses and as partners, we continue to support, challenge, and grow with one another. We couldn’t be more grateful for the journey that brought us together — and we’re so excited to spend the rest of our lives caring for others, and for each other.