A Michigan couple have moved up their wedding date after they were both diagnosed with cancer just eight days apart.
High school sweethearts Clay Slenk, 24, and Mariah Nelesen, 23, from Zeeland, started dating at the beginning of their senior year in 2015. Five years later, they got engaged on December 26, 2020.
They planned on getting married on June 10, 2022, but they’ve since moved their ceremony to April 9 after they both received life-changing phone calls about their health earlier this year.
‘I got a phone call January 11 of this year that I had ovarian cancer. That’s not a call that anyone expects to receive,’ Nelesen told KTLA of her surprising diagnosis.
High School sweethearts Clay Slenk, 24, and Mariah Nelesen, 23, from Zeeland, Michigan, have moved up their wedding after they were both diagnosed with cancer eight days apart
The couple started dating at the beginning of their senior year in 2015
The couple explained on their Caring Bridge page that she had undergone an ovarian cyst removal and learned the tissue that was removed was cancerous.
Nelesen was diagnosed with adult granulosa cell tumor (AGCT), a rare ovarian cancer that requires both surgery and chemotherapy for treatment.
Eight days later, on January 19, Slenk received an urgent call about his recent blood test results from his doctor, who advised him to go to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids immediately.
‘All of a sudden, I got a phone call at like 8 o’clock, and my doctor was like, “I want you to go to Spectrum right now. I think you have leukemia,”‘ Slenk told KTLA.
Slenk and Nelesen got engaged on December 26, 2020, and planned on getting married on June 10, 2022
They’ve since moved their ceremony to April 9 after they were both diagnosed with cancer
Nelesen was diagnosed with adult granulosa cell tumor (AGCT), a rare ovarian cancer that requires both surgery and chemotherapy for treatment
When he had initially gotten bloodwork, he had thought he was suffering from lingering side effects of pneumonia.
After more testing, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive cancer that originates in the blood cells.
Slenk required immediate treatment and spent more than 40 days in the hospital. After their wedding, he will undergo a stem cell transplant, a procedure that replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells.
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‘We moved up our wedding date so we could be married during that time,’ he told KTLA. ‘So she would be here to take care of me and we could go through that hard part together.’
Slenk was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive cancer that originates in the blood cells
The couple pushed up their wedding date because they wanted to be married before he undergoes his next treatment, a stem cell transplant
Slenk, who purchased a home with his bride-to-be last year, has edited his vows to reflect their deepening bond, saying: ‘There’ll be a little more sickness before the health, but that’s alright’
Meanwhile, Nelesen has started the process of freezing her eggs as part of her own cancer treatment.
A GoFundMe has been started on their behalf to help cover their medical bills, home payments, lost income, and gifts toward their wedding and honeymoon.
They have received more than $36,000 donations, so far, exceeding the fundraiser’s initial goal of $25,000.
Slenk and Nelesen have chosen to remain positive throughout their cancer battles and live their lives to the fullest.
Slenk remained by Nelesen’s side when she suffered a suffered an aortic dissection and spent two weeks in the ICU last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit
A GoFundMe has been started on their behalf has received more than $36,000 donations
‘Why be angry?’ he asked. ‘If I’m angry and frustrated and down and negative, all it’s going to do is make this day that much worse.’
The bride-to-be also shared that their diagnoses have changed her perspective when it comes to their wedding.
‘I was caught up in planning and excited for all the little details, like the venue we were going to be at and the food that we were going to have,’ she said.
‘[Now], replanning the wedding, I’ve just thrown all of that out the window. It’s going to be a special day no matter what, and we’re going to have burgers and brats on the grill.’
Slenk has since edited his vows to reflect their deepening bond, saying: ‘There’ll be a little more sickness before the health, but that’s alright.’
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