"I suppose that in order to feel a ray of hope, see the light, you have to have first lived in darkness. "

Life is supposed to go a certain way. You grow up, you fall in love, you partner up, and you grow old together. But what happens when your happily ever after is interrupted, forever changed by shattering news?

Author Heidi McCann was just a young teenager that summer in 1990 when she first laid eyes on the boy who would become her first love, and eventually the man who would change her life.

Curtis Roger Vance was handsome, popular, and just a little wild. It was the story that small town romances in rural Vermont are made of. At least at first.

Curtis and Heidi did fall in love and begin their life together, albeit through several breakups and a long twisty road to young adulthood. However, far too early on in their life together, they were dealt the devastating blow that Curtis had ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Curtis' remaining time on earth would be fraught with questions, catastrophic illness, and the most beautiful and heartwarming coming of age, surrounded by the fierce love of the woman by his side, and a community who rallied around them both.

With a remarkable mix of tenderness and frankness, McCann guides us through their love story, their anguish, their heartbreak, and the ultimate redemption that comes with perfect healing in death, while exploring the lives and loves of those left behind.

This is a book about learning to live while preparing to die. It is beautiful, it will crack you wide open, and it will heal your heart in ways you do not expect.

All that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you.

Whatever the future holds,

I will love you and stand by you.

We will be united for all eternity.

This is my solemn vow.