In all, the ceremony lasted seven minutes and 30 seconds. But it took more than $12,000, a chartered jet and a journey of more than 500 miles for an Ohio gay couple to say “I do.”
And they had to say those words in Maryland.
John Arthur, who is bedridden and terminally ill with ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, decided last month that his idea of a “perfect day” would be to marry longtime partner Jim Obergefell.
But the Cincinnati couple could not legally do so in their home state. Thus began weeks of phone calls, research and requests for donations so the two men could journey to Baltimore to exchange vows.
They did so with the help of Crossroads Hospice, which works with its dying patients to give them “A Perfect Day.”
A day in which they get to do something they’ve always dreamed of. So when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act in June, Arthur told his dream to his partner and the hospice group.
On Thursday, the men boarded a chartered jet equipped with enough room for Arthur’s stretcher and flew to Baltimore, where Arthur’s aunt, Paulette Roberts — who is an ordained minister courtesy of the Internet — pronounced them husband and husband.
Then they flew home.
“It could not have gone smoother,” newlywed Obergefell told the Daily News on Monday. “We’re very lucky.”
Crossroads provided an ambulance to ferry the couple from their condo to a municipal airport. It also supplied the services of a registered nurse for the 70-minute flight.
But the cost of hiring a private plane totaled more than $12,000, and the couple did not have that much money. Friends, family and former co-workers sent in donations that covered the cost.
“We’re very fortunate to have the family of support we have,” said Obergefell, who is an IT consultant.
Both 47, they have been together for more than 20 years after meeting at a New Year’s Eve party in Cincinnati.
Arthur was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, 26 months ago. The incurable neurological disease destroys motor connections between the brain, the spinal cord and muscles.
He has been receiving hospice care since March and is no longer able to walk.
“He can use his right hand a little bit,” Obergefell said. “He can breathe, swallow, and talk. But that’s about it.”
But there is no room for despair in this new marriage.
“We’re still here, and we still have time,” Obergefell said. “That’s what we do when we love someone. We take care of them.”
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