Every newlywed expects some adjustments. Married life is different than single life. Maybe there’s a new place to live, new responsibilities, new plans for the future.
That’s all to be expected. Cancer is not to be expected, and Brittany and Jake Bova still find their reality to feel well, surreal.
Married in October 2015, Brittany and Jake were just a few months past their first anniversary when Brittany was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a few days before Christmas 2016. Brittany is a nurse at Eastside Medical Center and Jake is a teacher and a baseball coach at Grayson High School. Both were raised in Grayson.
“I wasn’t angry with God or anything. I was just shocked. The whole process still feels surreal because I didn’t look like I had cancer,” Brittany says.
Now, after completing a two-month course of chemo, she’s a joyful survivor. She has a self-described “awesome hat-wig” a hat with hair that looks like a bob – -“but Jake prefers me without it.”
Cancer also brought a change to the plans they had for these early years of married life. “It was hard to put all the goals and plans we’d made for the next several years on hold like starting a family,” says Jake. They’ve taken steps to preserve their fertility for the future, and are grateful that they had the time and opportunity to do so.
They are also grateful for some unexpected gifts. “Jake’s been a great supporter. He’s helped me stay positive, too. And we’ve definitely grown closer to God with all of this. I just think these are all reasons for us together to be closer to God, because that was his plan,” says Brittany.
“One of the biggest rewards is being able to share our story and show people that you can make this much good happen out of something so bad,” adds Jake.
“I’ve learned not to stress out with every little thing. There are bigger issues in life than to worry about the small things,” says Brittany. “Just take it day by day.”
