How To Live When You Are Dying

This Valentine’s Day, Sarah Fisher shares her heartbreaking love story…

- Kristina Beanland And Kim Willis

Like a scene from a movie, I realised I was falling in love with my now husband, Dave, under a blanket of shooting stars. I know – I’m rolling my eyes too! – but it really was that romantic. and, seven years on, I still get butterflies when he walks into a room.

You might think it sounds perfect – but you’d be wrong. The truth is, a cruel disease will rob my husband of living to old age. At best, he has just a few years left.

I first met Dave in 2006. Back then, he was just Dave, someone I said hello to as we played on the same bowls team. Already in a happy relationship, I didn’t see him as anything other than a friend.

But four years later, and after moving to the same area as Dave, I found myself a single mum to Tyler, then nine, Harley, three, and Corey, eight months. Perhaps it was fate, but we kept bumping into one another. We’d see each other walking the dogs and soon we were spending more time together.

It was one night at the pub when a friend of Dave’s told me about his cystic fibrosis.

I had no idea. Dave looked so healthy. I didn’t feel like it was my place to ask Dave about the condition, so back home I went online. I learned that cystic fibrosis caused mucus to build up in the lungs. It was life-limiting, with patients often not living past their late 40s. As I sat, staring at thecomputer screen, my chestheaved with sobs. Dave was kind and generous – always thinking of others. How could life be so cruel?

I didn’t say anything to Dave abouthis diagnosis – if he wanted to tell me, he would. So, I tried to forget anything was wrong with him. In any case, it wasn’t any of my business, Dave was just a friend.