A couple preparing for their wedding and the rest of their lives together received news that changed their vision for both.
Clay Slenk and Mariah Nelesen got engaged on December 26, 2020. The couple decided they weren't in a rush to get married because they're still young. The two planned a wedding for June 10, 2022.
But then Mariah, 23, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on January 11. Eight days later, 24-year-old Clay was diagnosed with leukemia.
Clay Slenk and Mariah Nelesen tied the knot on April 9 instead. Before the wedding, they spoke about the choice to move their wedding date up.
"We had a long engagement (and) were hoping to get married June 10 of this year," Clay told KTLA.
Mariah was the first to learn she had cancer. "I got a phone call January 11th of this year that I had ovarian cancer," she shared.
"That's not a call that anyone expects to receive."
Eight days later, Clay was awaiting the results of bloodwork after he felt what he thought were lingering symptoms from having pneumonia.
"All of a sudden, I got a phone call at like 8 o'clock, and my doctor was like, 'I want you to go to Spectrum right now. I think you have Leukemia,'" he revealed.
Clay needed immediate and aggressive treatment, which led to over 40 days in the hospital. While he went through that, Mariah started the process of freezing her eggs.
"Now, we're into it deep," Clay said.
"And it's not just one person, it's both of us."
The two have taken the approach of not being angry or upset and focusing on fighting for their future.
"Why be angry?" Clay asked.
"If I'm angry and frustrated and down and negative, all it's going to do is make this day that much worse."
One of the reasons they say they moved the date up was because Clay had an aggressive treatment coming up. "We moved up our wedding date so we could be married during that time," he said. "So she would be here to take care of me and we could go through that hard part together."
The couple said that they changed their outlook on the wedding planning process after receiving the news of their illnesses.
"I was caught up in planning and excited for all the little details, like the venue we were going to be at and the food that we were going to have," Mariah said.
"Replanning the wedding, I've just thrown all of that out the window. It's going to be a special day no matter what and we're going to have burgers and brats on the grill."
"It won't be easy going forward, but we know that it'll be more meaningful to go through it together," Clay said.
"There'll be a little more sickness before the health, but that's alright."
A GoFundMe page has been started to help the couple navigate the difficult months ahead. Mariah and Clay are also sharing their story on CaringBridge.
After the wedding, Mariah showed pictures of the happy couple on Facebook.
