Julie and Ken: A Wedding Ceremony Fundraiser

Love is Dance We Learn as We Go…

Julie and Ken are an integral part of the Vancouver area Deaf Community. They had started to plan a wedding when covid struck. We all know many couples who postponed or did a “tiny wedding.” But Julie is a bit romantic and wanted to wait until she could invite her friends and family, both Deaf and hearing, to celebrate together.

In the late spring of 2022, the date was finally set for December 17. That would give them time to save and have a bit of a budget for a simple wedding with under 100 guests.

In July, Julie noticed the rash on her leg had gotten worse. She’d been keeping an eye on it for a couple of weeks and was finally encouraged by a friend to check into Emergency. From there was a downward spiral where her leg became a serious concern, and she had to take time off work. She was bedridden for two months and went to hospitals daily for IV and to tend her wound.

Now 5 months later, a sordid, open wound remains, and she has been off work the entire time. The initial diagnosis of “cellulitis” was revised to a more serious, “acinetabacter stentrophomos” —essentially a “super bug”. A friend, who is a specialist, upon seeing the photographs of the progression of this infection, said that she was lucky she didn’t lose her leg.

The wedding will go ahead, no matter what. No more postponements.

Budget, financial limits? More like “debt limit”. With not working for 5 months and having used any amount of grace her employer was willing to give, the wedding nest-egg has all but disappeared. Julie and Ken were/are planning a very simple affair, but even so, with a little help from their friends on Go Fund Me, they won’t be saddled with 2 years of payments after all they’ve been through.

If you have a strong stomach, we’ve included a picture of her leg infection… you can rejoice with us that she has two legs to dance with her groom on December 17.

Join with us, if you would like to be part of this Deaf wedding party that will take place in Fort Langley this December. Any contribution will go toward celebrating this wonderful Deaf couple who are passionate about life and about each other.