Steve and Hope Dezember have been madly in life since their very first date back in 2011. That night, Steve treated Hope to a romantic candlelight dinner as beautiful music played in the background.

Though Hope fell for Steve during this date, she also noticed something seemed strange about him. For one thing, he was trembling during most of the meal, and she noticed that he struggled to open a bottle.

Steve told her that he had gone to seven doctors, yet none of them could figure out what was wrong with him. It wasn’t until four months later that he finally got a diagnosis, and it was not good news.

Steve was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, at the young age of 28. There is no cure for this horrifying and debilitating disease, which is a neurodegenerative condition that attacks the nerve cells in the spine and brain. Those who suffer from ALS will gradually lose the ability to walk, move, and even speak, until they eventually die. Almost half of the people afflicted with ALS die within three years of the diagnosis.

After learning he had ALS, Steve told Hope that she did not have to stay with him. Hope, already in love with Steve, told him she wasn’t going anywhere. The couple happily married two months after his diagnosis and took a lengthy honeymoon in which they traveled all over the U.S.

Soon after, Steve lost his ability to speak in January of 2013, and the couple moved back to Georgia. He quickly lost 65 pounds and his physical appearance drastically changed.

Today, Hope and Steve are still together and very much in love. They started “Drive,” a project that allows him to paint and helps pay his medical bills. They also have a Facebook page, “Hope For Steve,” where they post regular updates about their lives.

Please say a prayer for this amazing couple. They serve as a reminder that love really does triumph over everything!