Single mom-of-five tried online dating after being told she had 6 months to live — she found eternal love on the first date

Alecia Wendland, a single mom with stage-4 cancer from Florida, was given only six months to live. But a year passed, and she was still alive, so Wendland decided to try online dating. That's when she came across Glenn Marsh's profile and messaged him about meeting over coffee. They met and instantly fell for each other. In fact, Marsh wasn't concerned about her cancer at all, but that's only because he refused to let the uncertain future steal their present. What's more surprising is that the couple who knew they had limited time together married within 9 months of their first date, PEOPLE reported.

Wendland, a 58-year-old registered nurse, had just broken up with her boyfriend of 24 years when she was hospitalized. In July 2023, she noticed she'd turned pale, and it was then that doctors confirmed she had cholangiocarcinoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. It was obviously devastating because she was given only six months to live. Wendland had no support except for some of her friends who stood by her. Soon enough, the single mom of five moved out of the villa she shared with her ex into a place her friends rented to her. A year passed, and Wendland, surprisingly, surpassed the doctor's prognosis. And that's when she thought to give online dating a try. Soon enough, she stumbled upon Marsh's profile and decided to meet him for coffee. Within minutes of meeting each other, Wendland told Marsh about her cancer diagnosis. She even opened up to him about her 37-year-old son, Richie's condition. Wendland's son had Cushing's syndrome, a condition that occurs because of high cortisol in the body.

Marsh let Wendland speak her mind, but he was least bothered by the challenges because he had started liking her. "I had an instant connection. I didn't want to leave, but I had to," Marsh said, recalling how he had to leave their first date because he had a flight to catch. He was so attracted to her that on Valentine's Eve, Marsh called Wendland from his hotel room to ask her to be his Valentine. She said yes, and that was the beginning of their fairy-tale love story. "He tells me all the time we're going to fight this, even though I can't have surgery and it's stage 4... If I need to be in the hospital, he takes me in a minute. He doesn't ever hesitate," Wendland explained. Wendland's love story is special in a world where people leave their partners because of a serious health issue. For instance, a longitudinal survey (HILDA survey in Australia) found that separation is 40% higher when either partner is diagnosed with an illness. Similarly, research by Bahar Nalbant, André Karger, and Tanja Zimmermann involving 265 partners or ex-partners of cancer patients found that cancer contributed to more than half (57.4%) of separations. While only 9.6% of couples separated directly because of cancer itself, a majority (59.6%) separated because the cancer patient died. 

Initially, Wendland and Marsh had planned to move in together after six months, but the couple didn't want to waste time, so they took the plunge after only four months. "We're doing everything that we can while we can, because we both know that we're on a timetable," the woman added. Marsh proposed to Wendland on her birthday, and two months later, they tied the knot with their closest ones around. While Wendland is still undergoing her cancer treatment, she is no longer scared of death. The woman said she doesn't ask doctors how long she has left to live; instead, she wants to make the most of her present with her dear husband.

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