Travis Johnson had been preparing for his and Rachael Bozsik's wedding when a motorcycle changed everything. And the best part is that Rachael and her husband, Travis, are experiencing joy together daily and thanking God for Travis’ life.
“These were the best and the worst months of our lives,” recalled Rachael whose last name is now Johanson. If this isn’t the real-life version of the movie Me Before You, I don’t know what it is.
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It all started when Travis was set up by a match-making friend. “I had been smitten from our phone conversation, and I knew that if she was half as pretty as her photos, I would be in trouble,” he said. “When she walked toward me and lowered her mask to give me a huge smile, I was done.”
But Rachael didn’t think they would be more than just friends despite their helicopter sunset tour on their first date. Several months passed when she reluctantly agreed to a second date with Travis. That’s when sparks flew and Rachael realized Travis was truly the one her heart pined after. Travis then proposed on her birthday and he and Rachael Bozsik were happily planning their wedding when tragedy struck.
Travis was a mere block away from their home when he was hit by a car on his motorcycle, his body badly broken. Travis had broken both arms and wrists, a leg, and an ankle. One of his hands and elbow were completely shattered. In order to repair the trauma, he underwent a 19-hour surgery. Before he underwent surgery, Travis begged a nurse to text Rachael so that if anything happened, she would know how much he loved her.
Praise God, Travis survived the surgery. Now that he was stabilized, the pair were about to face the next challenge -- Travis would be in a wheelchair for the next eight months as he recovered from his near-death experience. What could have put a strain on their relationship actually became the grounds for their love to blossom.
“These were the best and the worst months of our lives,” Rachael recalled. “We truly understood what our relationship was made of and we combated the trauma together. We were learning together with a lot of love.”
Their relationship was forged in the opposition of trauma. And yet through it all, God held this couple in his healing hands.
On January 7th, the couple declared each other husband and wife in a simple ceremony gathered by a few family and friends.
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To honor Travis’ father, Terry who was dying from cancer, the couple wanted to honor his wish to change the family name back to the original spelling of Johanson as they signed their marriage certificate together.
God changes people from glory to glory. We definitely don’t like being tested or walking through traumatic circumstances. But if we surrender to the process, he refines our hearts and strengthens our love for him and each other. In the hands of the Master, the trauma and the unexpected have a purpose and a purpose that will transform and shape you, strengthen you and design you perfectly for what he needs, much like he did with Travis and Racheal. May they face any storm with God’s grace and glory at the center of their lives.
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“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction,” Isaiah 48:10.
h/t: The New York Times
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/rachaelbozsik_johanson