I've heard the saying "the best things in life are worth waiting for" many times in my 34 years. Thus far, this has proven to be true both personally and professionally.
When I was nine months old, I became ill with my first bout with the flu. Neither my family nor I knew that would be the first day of the rest of our lives. After two weeks of being seen by doctors throughout the country, I was finally diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis and my family was told that I would never walk. I was originally paralyzed from the neck down, but was able to regain partial use of my upper body after years of hard work by myself, my mom, and my therapists.
Despite my physical limitations, my parents never expected any less from me than my able-bodied sister. I was always treated like the rest of the neighborhood kids when we were outside playing and my friends knew me as just Jenny, not Jenny in the wheelchair. I always wondered if this would remain the same when it became time for me to start dating.
I went on a few dates in high school, but never had a serious boyfriend until right before I left for college. He was a great guy and of course I thought he was 'the one'! However, I met Eric in 2001 and knew there was something special about him.
I was home from college for the summer and returned to my job as a host/usher at Coors Field. Eric's job brought him to Colorado from Las Vegas and he got a second job at Coors Field in hopes of meeting new people. We had a lot in common and found ourselves talking all the time at work. We kept in touch off-and-on when I went back to school, but never dated because I was with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend and I decided to break up in 2003, but I was not ready to get into another serious relationship. Eric and I hung out a lot during the summer between my junior and senior year of college and before either of us knew it, our friendship was turning into much more and we became a couple. However, after I graduated we needed to take a break.
I was doing a sports internship at a Denver news station, still working at Coors Field, fulfilling my duties as Ms. Wheelchair Colorado and learning how to drive. I didn't feel like I could give my all to our relationship when I was doing so many other things. Luckily, Eric was patient with me and we got back together about a year later when my life started to slow down.
The best thing about Eric is that he is always so supportive of the goals I want to achieve. When I was in college, he would give me "extra" homework. He would create quizzes to test my sports knowledge since I wanted a career in sports journalism. I managed the UNC women's basketball team and he would drive in from over an hour away to be at my games.
Attending sports-related activities is definitely our favorite thing to do together. The Denver Broncos used to hold training camp on my college campus, so Eric and I would go. We had gone so many times that we started to know the players' routines. Eric's favorite player was Ed McCaffrey and he was determined to get his autograph. One night we sat outside of the building that their team meetings were held in. Since we were the only people out there when the meeting let out, Eric finally got his autograph. The funny thing about this is, one of the first shows I produced at Altitude Sports featured Ed McCaffrey!
I currently work my dream jobs as a producer for Altitude Sports and as a Video Production Specialist for the Colorado Rockies. I produce anywhere from two to five shows per week and work the majority of the Rockies home games during baseball season. My schedule is pretty crazy and Eric is always there to do whatever I need. He makes dinner for us every night, brings me dinner at work if I have to stay late, and knows my personal care well enough to put me to bed when my caregivers aren't available.
Eric also has no problem doing my personal care when we go on short trips. We love traveling and enjoy being outdoors. Some of our best adventures include dog sledding in Breckenridge, snowmobiling in Grand Lake, tubing down the Yampa River, and visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
My life was already good, but on September 18, 2015 it got even better. As my friends, family, and I joked: my time had finally come! At a Brad Paisley concert, Eric proposed during our song, "Then." We were married on July 25, 2016 at a beautiful Victorian house in the foothills of Colorado.
We've already been married for six months and are still enjoying spending time together! On our days off, we can often be found hanging out with our adorable black lab Riley, attending as many sporting events as possible, or enjoying time with family and friends.
I truly believe the best things in life are worth waiting for because I was blessed to be able to marry my best friend on the best day of my life.
About the Author
Jenny graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications and a minor in Speech Communication. She is currently a producer for Altitude Sports and a Video Production Specialist for the Colorado Rockies.
Jenny's ride is a Quickie QM-710
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