“I proposed to her the day I was diagnosed with leukemia, which is a blood cancer. The doctor in Japan told me to get on the next flight back to America because I would need a genetic match if I needed a transplant. When I tearfully shared the news with her, she said, ‘OK. I’m coming with you.’ At that moment, I thought there’s no one I can ever meet who’d be more committed than this. And I want to spend the rest of my life with this person. So I proposed there and then without a ring. She supported me and was with me throughout the whole thing—the chemo, the radiation, vomit, weight loss, anxiety and depression. My blood system was completely destroyed with enough radiation to kill me. Thankfully my sister was a genetic match. She donated her blood stem cells to replace mine. After six months of treatment, I got out of the hospital, recovered a bit and we got married in San Diego. Now I’m back in Japan to finish graduate school. We’re looking forward to settling down here. Maybe start a family.”