Man With Alzheimer's Proposes to and Marries Wife of 12 Years for Second Time

A couple got the chance to relive one of the happiest days of their lives by hosting a second "wedding" after husband's Alzheimer's diagnosis.

According to a report from WNBC, a 56-year-old Connecticut man living with early onset Alzheimer's disease decided to ask the woman he loved to marry him, having forgotten that the two had already said "I do" 12 years ago. Nevertheless, his wife was more than happy to "remarry" her true love.

The outlet reported that Peter and Lisa Marshall, who got married back in 2009, decided to profess their love publicly once more in December 2020, while watching a television program featuring a wedding.

"Let's do it," Peter told Lisa.

"I said, 'Do what?' And he pointed to the TV, to the scene of this wedding and I said, 'Do you wanna get married?' He said yes and had this huge grin on his face," Lisa told WNBC. "He doesn't know that I'm his wife. I'm just his favorite person."

Lisa, 54, said in an interview with The Washington Post that she was ecstatic at the prospect of another "wedding," but was unsure that Peter would remember. She told the outlet that, for the last six months, she has been tasked to care for the man who could no longer remember that she was his wife.

"Before his diagnosis, I always thought that Alzheimer's was an old person's disease," she told the outlet. "Now I know better."

According to Lisa, the two met while they lived as neighbors in Harrisburg, Pa., and began dating in 2001 after each of their divorces had been finalized. For eight years, the two dated long-distance, as Peter's work took him to Connecticut and Lisa was still raising her children from her previous marriage. Once her youngest went to college, she and Peter were married and the two settled down in Andover, Conn.

Just seven years into their blissful marriage, Peter's memory began to slip.

"Instead of the word 'airplane,' he'd say, 'that thing that goes up in the sky,'" Lisa told The Washington Post. "He also became pretty forgetful, but the word deficiency was really hard to ignore."

Peter was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2018, and Lisa stepped away from her full-time job the following year to focus all her efforts on caring for her husband.

Lisa, who does her best to keep a positive outlook on life, told WNBC that his recent proposal meant a lot to her

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world. I get to do it twice," Lisa emotionally told the outlet.

The Washington Post reported that as Peter's cognitive functions declined in January, she had her daughter Sarah Brehant, a professional wedding planner, organize a vow renewal event.

"I knew that my stepdad, who I am very close with, was there through some of the toughest times of my life," Brehant told the Post. "He means so much to me, and my mom is my best friend, so I was proud to be able to take on such an important role."

Thanks to compassionate vendors and volunteers, the two were able to "remarry" on April 26. Video of their vow renewal was posted to YouTube, where nearly 20,000 viewers have watched the emotional ceremony.

Calling it the "most perfectly perfect fairytale day," Lisa shared her unbridled joy on her Facebook page "Oh Hello Alzheimer's," dedicated to raising awareness about the disease and sharing her family's personal journey with it.

"I'm still weepy thinking of the magic, the moments, the unforeseen surprises and just how normal everything felt for just a little while."

Lisa noted that throughout the day "Peter was so very present," and it was an emotional experience for everyone involved.

"'Who are you?!' Peter exclaimed [at the first look]! And then he whispered in my ear, 'You look good,'" Lisa added on Facebook. "We kissed like everything was right and for a few hours it was! We walked together arm in arm down the long wooden and brick room, our faces beaming, our hearts brimming, preparing for Sarah's big reveal!"

Speaking to The Washington Post, Lisa shared that Peter's mental state has declined further, and she may have to consider assisted living facilities in the future in order to give him the best care possible.

"One day at a time," she told the outlet. "I don't know who I am to him now, but I know that he definitely loves me and feels safe. When the bus brings him back home each day, we'll sit on the porch for an hour and hold hands."

Newsweek reached out to Lisa for comment on the vow renewal, but she did not immediately respond in time for publication.

Similarly, another married couple battling Alzheimer's went viral last month after their granddaughter captured the emotional moment her grandfather was able to hold his wife in the assisted living facility she stays in for the first time since COVID-19 restricted their in-person visits.