We met when I was 15 or 16 in a chat room on the irc. Best friends for a year and a half. We werent dating but told one another that we were our end goals in life. With some encouragement from mutual friends we started dating. I met him in person a year later and we went from online to long distance. He moved to be closer to me a year after. There was a lot of drama as we were growing up and I was not stable. I cant imagine life withour him. 3 months we celebrate 5 years. (22!)

We started dating before I had the diagnosis.

I'm about your age, but don't rush the dating process. I tell all my friends who have not had serious boyfriends yet (my two roommates included) that there is no rush because if it's meant to be you will find a partner that hopefully suits you. Plus it's hard to date when you're younger and there are still a lot of life-altering decisions to make. It's easier to casually date every once in a while until you've completed your undergrad education because you can't be certain where life will take you after your degree. It's easier to not have to think about someone else and make compromises on your dream.

As a young couple, both of us have made compromises so we can stay together. We went into this relationship not realizing how difficult it would be to maintain and how hard it would be to grow together. We live and breath in two different worlds yet we've maintained an atmosphere of love. It is verryyy difficult. He has put off schooling so he could pay bills while I completed my degree. Now we're at the crossroads where we're going to switch roles, essentially. It's difficult, but well worth it with the right partner.