4 Epic Love Stories of People with Cerebral Palsy

These days, meeting the right person can seem like an almost impossible task. In a sea of billions, how do you find the right fish who will be your partner for life? And for people with cerebral palsy, this ocean can seem even more challenging to navigate.

But love is a powerful force, and the right person is out there for everyone. People with cerebral palsy have powerful, amazing love stories just like everyone else. Read on to discover four of these epic love stories.

Corey and Sabrina

In Juneau, Alaska in the spring of 2012, Corey Gilmore asked Sabrina Richmond if she would marry him. She said yes, and the couple began planning a wedding for the fall. Corey planned to move from his home in Maine to live in Alaska with Sabrina, and the two began making arrangements for that move.

What makes this love story special is that both Corey and Sabrina have cerebral palsy, a congenital disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance. Both Corey and Sabrina are in wheelchairs, and both require assistance to perform daily tasks. Part of their wedding planning includes making arrangements for the social services both will need to lead an independent life in Alaska.

Corey and Sabrina met through a friend and began chatting online. They Skyped through good times and bad, sickness and health, richer and poorer times. Finally, in the spring of 2012, Corey was able to save enough money to go meet Sabrina in person for the first time.

The couple are both strong Christians and plan to build a life of service to others together. Corey said, “As frustrating as [the reality of needing personal care] can be, we’re both determined to make a difference in the world every day.

Nicole and Curtis

A living skills workshop in northern California in 2007 became the start of a beautiful love story when Nicole Brobeck and Curtis Braxton met. Nicole has cerebral palsy and uses a walker. Curtis has hydrocephalus (a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain) and a seizure disorder.

Nicole and Curtis became fast friends during the living skills workshop, and they would spend hours talking on the phone. Soon friendship became something more, and over five years, the couple’s love grew until, on February 14, 2011, Curtis proposed to Nicole. She accepted, saying it was a dream come true.

But there were a few more dragons to be defeated before the couple could have their fairy tale wedding. Nicole’s father died just three weeks before she met Curtis, and her mother was left with a daunting pile of medical bills. One organization planned to throw the couple a wedding and then backed out at the last minute.

But the generosity of strangers came through to give the couple a beautiful wedding. Vendors donated flowers, photography services, decorations, a wedding cake, and even a honeymoon hotel stay. Nicole wore a stunning pearl-studded dress, and Curtis was dashing in a white suit as they tied the knot during a lovely outdoor ceremony in May 2012.

Dena and Dan

You may have heard the story of Dan Keplinger and Dena Huggler before. Dan is the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary, King Gimp. The film follows Dan from age 12 to age 25, showing the realities of his life with spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy, a subtype that causes stiffness in the body and a lack of control in the limbs.

Dena and Dan met in Maryland in 2004, though it took a while for their love to bloom. Dena is a nanny who isn’t comfortable in the spotlight, and thanks to King Gimp, Danny is a well-known face. One of the big challenges of their relationship was not Dan’s disability, but his fame.

Dena’s discomfort in the spotlight was an issue of mind versus body, a hindrance she refers to as a disability of her own. But Dan, because of his physical disability, was entirely comfortable in his own skin. The two brought their strengths together and found a relationship that makes them each better.

The couple married on April 1, 2009, and Dena became Dan’s official personal care assistant. Dan advises married couples to listen and be sensitive to their partner’s needs. Dena says it’s important to keep an open mind and focus on the emotional connection with a disabled partner.

Justin and Sabrina

Justin Boisvert couldn’t hold back tears as he watched his bride, Sabrina Raposo, walk down the aisle during their April 20, 2018 wedding. After so many years of waiting to marry his perfect woman, the emotion was overwhelming. Sabrina broke down, too, walking down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams.

Justin and Sabrina met online in November 2007 when Sabrina sent Justin a message. “I really think your smile is beautiful… do you want to talk?” Justin worried at first that Sabrina might reject him when she discovered he had cerebral palsy. But love is stronger, and by November 2013, they were engaged.

The couple married in Hamilton, Ontario, where they live, and took a Mexico honeymoon. They want to have children someday, but for now, they’re enjoying their life together. They hope to “learn and change and grow old together” as they live out their married life.