Marriage is full of give and take. A back and forth dance that you choose to make with each other. And in that dance, there are moments that are magical, but occasionally there are also moments that trip you up. But love has a way of finding its footing, when you have the right partner. When Rick Dorothy first met Jan more than 15 years ago, he said that there was an instant spark between the two. 

“It was one of those times when something just clicks,” he said. “However, she was married and so was I. I told myself that my attraction was just a fantasy that I should just get out of my mind. Turned out that both of our spouses didn’t follow that same rule, and over time we both became single.” 

The pair, newly divorced, found friendship and comfort with each other. They soon fell in love and got married, going on to have two children. But like all things in life, there are ups and downs. For Rick, there was a job loss after 18 years with his employer. And then, when Rick’s mom became sick and moved in with the couple, Jan would become a caregiver for her. 

It ended up being a difficult situation for all of us,” Rick said. “We started making our long walks an everyday thing. It gave us time to reflect on things and plan each day.”

Rick Dorothy pulls his wife, Jan, in a homemade rickshaw that he designed to help her stay active after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo courtesy of Rick Dorothy

But soon, the pair noticed Jan was having trouble walking and had began dragging her right foot some. Dismissing it at first as just needing to get stronger to keep walking, it soon became clear there was something wrong. ”As time went by her foot drag got worse,” Rick recalled. “Not long after, Jan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.”

Unfortunately, Jan got to the point where she couldn’t go on the walks the pair loved so much. “MS can be a sneaky demon and has its way of stealing a small piece of you each day,” Rick said. But Rick knew he would do anything to help Jan walk with him again. “One day, watching television, I saw a Chinese Rickshaw on an old show. A switch flipped in my head, and I knew my new mission. With my name being Rick, it just made sense,” he said. 

“When it was finally complete and ready for the maiden voyage, I felt like I was asking her to get into a homemade airplane. She stepped into it and sat down. ‘Hey, this is pretty comfortable,’ she said with a smile.”

Jan Dorothy sit in a homemade rickshaw that her husband, Rick, designed to help her stay active after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo courtesy of Rick Dorothy

“As I picked up the front and tipped her back in her chair, her eyes grew bigger. ‘It won’t tip over backward?’ she asked. And away we went, down the long driveway, and on down the road. ‘This is kinda cool,’ she announced with a little grin. ‘How is it for you?’ It didn’t matter how it was for me, I would have broken both legs to take her on that first ride,” Rick said.

For those that get hit by the unexpected in the marriage, Rick had the following advice. “Take life one day at a time, and when life throws a brick wall in front of you, just build a ladder and cross the wall. I know as long as my legs are still strong enough to walk, Jan and I will still have those long walks in the woods. Where there is a will, there is always a way, and we will continue to find our way as long as we can.”

Sources: InspireMore | Upworthy | Love What Matters