Meeting my rock: my journey with Fernando

-

 

The next chapter in my life that I want to share with you in chronological order is about my husband, Fernando. I met him soon after I had been genetically tested for Huntington's disease (HD). One of my best friends, who was dating Fernando's friend, invited me to visit her boyfriend at work, and that’s when I first met Fernando. Later, he told me that the moment he saw me, he told his friend, "I’m going to marry that girl one day."


We were friends at first because he was in a different place than I was then. We started hanging out casually for months until one day on his boat, he asked me out, and I said yes. My best friend, Bryan Medrano, who I mentioned before, had been living with Fernando as a housemate for a while. We were all hanging out one day, and together Bryan and I told Fernando that we both had Huntington's disease. He cried with and for us both. We have been inseparable ever since that day. We started going to church together and doing all of our favorite activities together.


Fernando and I dated for a year before he proposed to me. He first asked his family because he knew that one day I would become sick with HD. They said of course they would be there to help with anything that he or I needed. Then he asked my dad, who was so excited and told him that he already considered him as a son.


Fernando proposed to me in September at the CA State Fair where I performed every night. He planned to go out after the show on my friend’s horse, all dressed up in cowboy attire. I was so unaware, riding around the arena on my horse when I heard the song from "The Wedding Singer" I love called "I Want to Grow Old with You." It took me a few laps before I realized that it was Fernando getting off the horse and walking over to me. He helped me off my horse, got down on one knee, and proposed in front of the whole crowd. I had my family and friends there, and I didn't even think about it. I said yes!


We got married a year later on the beach in Monterey, CA. It was a beautiful day with everything we had hoped and prayed for, with our family and friends all there. Then we went to Maui and Kauai for our honeymoon, and it was amazing!


When we got back from our vacation, we started plugging into the HDSA, always helping out. We attended all of the events, and Fernando even came to some of the local and national conventions. We had a wonderful time getting to know other families and friends in the community.


We have truly lived life to the fullest ever since we met because he knew that was so important to me. Fernando’s support and our shared commitment to making the most out of life have been incredibly meaningful, and I am so grateful for the journey we’ve had together.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My mom another HD Warrior

-
Image
  Hello, welcome back I am Ashley Fajardo and I wanted to share a little of my history. I want to share about my mom, Sandra Lane. She was a beautiful woman who had a smile that could light up any room. She loved to travel and was always very athletic. She had a laugh, that was contagious. She loved her two kids more than anything they were her whole world, my brother Courtney and me.   However, when I was born, she was already beginning to show signs of Huntington’s disease at age __30__. Which is a neurological disorder that causes deterioration in a person’s physical, mental, and emotional abilities usually during their prime working years, and currently there is no cure. Most people start to develop symptoms in their 30’s to 50's. Symptoms usually worsen over the course of 10-25 years and affect the ability to reason, walk, and talk. It is a genetic disorder which means Each parent with a defective gene could pass along either a defective copy or a healthy copy, leaving a ...
Read more

Welcome Warriors - Hello from Ashley

-
Hello my name is Ashley Fajardo, I’m 39 years old (2023), and I have Huntington’s disease (HD). I chose to take the genetic test when I was 18 years old because I wanted to know what to expect for my future. I always knew I wanted to know, to look truth in the face. Huntington’s disease (HD) is genetic and I inherited it from my mom. After I tested positive I immediately joined the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) and started volunteering.   I also decided for myself to live life to the fullest.   I really have lived a big, blessed, full life that God has provided.   I was diagnosed symptomatic 8 years ago in 2015. That’s when I really started to search for options that would help me to keep my symptoms dormant for as long as possible. I started changing what I ate. I already was a athlete my entire life so exercising was my happy place. I always loved to try new things and challenge myself. I have been doing CrossFit for 11 years. I enjoy yoga — even hot yo...
Read more

My journey with genetic testing: a personal reflection

-
  The next thing I want to share with you is about my experience with genetic testing. When I was in high school my brother, who is 10 years older than me, was getting married and he wanted to know if he was a carrier for Huntington’s Disease (HD) or not before having children. As we’ve talked about before on this blog, if a parent is positive for HD they have a 50% chance of passing it on to each biological child.  I remember my brother Courtney going through this process with his wife Jamie. He tested negative for HD and in turn he will never have symptoms or pass it on to any children. My brother now has twin boys that are healthy and happy. They just turned 14.  So when I turned 18 I decided that I wanted to be tested. Everyone thought I was too young and many people tried to talk me out of it but I was determined to get the genetic test done. I was a senior in high school when I started my testing process. It is a long process to get through. You are required to go t...
Read more