Through sickness and health, a friendship becomes more

Read more: Posted Jan. 25, 2012 @ 12:01 am Jan 25, 2012 at 9:06 PM By Dave Bakke

When certain things happen in life, their signicance does not become clear until later. These events might happen by chance or it might be something more. No one knows. But its only in looking back or otherwise in periods of clarity that people realize how things happened the way they did and sometimes say that it was all meant to be.
Cancer survivor Luke Ridge and his ance Kate Turasky play their guitars together at Luke's Springeld home Tuesday afternoon, January 24, 2012. The couple met when they were both freshman at Glenwood High School.

Luke Ridges best friend moved from Chatham to Mattoon when Luke was in the eighth grade. The boys kept in touch for a while, but as time went by they drifted apart. Its never easy to lose a best friend. It leaves a space. Enter Kate Turasky. She and Luke had mutual friends. They hung out together, and they clicked. The time came when Kate and Lukes friendship was at a crossroads. She said, I dont know if I want to date him. Hes more like my brother, Kates mother, Amy Mann remembers. I told her I think you should date him. Theres just something about this guy Kate and Luke think they saw a movie for their rst date, but its hard for them to recall if they saw the movie as friends or as a couple. Either way, more dates followed. Luke was 14 years old and Kate was 16. On Jan. 22, 2008 the two became boyfriend and girlfriend. She is the quiet one. He is the live wire. Their freshman and sophomore years at Glenwood High School were normal for a teenaged couple weekend dates and fun. They had art and music and school and friends in common. And one day it all changed. Luke was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2010, their junior year. Now instead of excitement over getting a drivers license, their world together became dominated by chemotherapy and blood cell counts and hospitals.

At that point, some might have said, I cant handle this. Its too hard and backed away. If that thought ever crossed Kates mind, it never showed. She was with me for every chemotherapy treatment, says Luke. That spring they made it to their junior prom. In their prom picture, Lukes short hair is the only clue to what they both had just been through. Senior year at Glenwood High, Luke was cancer free. At the end of the school year, Kate and Luke were voted Cutest Couple in the class of 2011. They had come through hell together and were in the clear. Until six months ago. Luke felt a lump in his neck. It was not good. Doctors had given him a 90 percent chance of staying cancer free. On July 11, he landed in the 10 percent. This time, his treatment was more intense. He went to SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis for chemotherapy and a stem cell treatment. That meant 30 days in isolation isolation plus one. Kate quit Lincoln Land Community College, where she was enrolled as a freshman, and headed for St. Louis. She practically moved in, Luke says. Kate says every time she left Lukes room, she had to sterilize before being allowed to return. That was never a problem for Luke. He was never allowed to leave the room. Luke felt bad for Kate and told her she should go home. He would be ne and she needed some normalcy. I practically pushed her out of the room, he says. Kate returned home for two days before she had to get back to Luke. Being away from him was worse than being with him, no matter what condition he was in. It felt like she was the one in isolation. For 100 days after his stem cell treatment, Luke was under severe restrictions. For example: With his immune system low, he couldnt eat at a buffet. He was forbidden to eat certain types of cheese because of the bacteria. He had already quit his job in the kitchen at Cozs Pizza in Springeld. Luke says his oncologist, Dr. Greg Brandt, didnt want him working in food preparation. The 100 days ended Jan. 5. Luke is cancer free again. His hair is growing back again. It usually comes in with chemo curls and probably will again. He is back to life. In fact, that is the name of the song he and Kate wrote while he was in St. Louis. He plays guitar on the song. Kate sings. Back To Life is on his blog, A Survivor Surviving.

Luke is only 18 years old; Kate only 20. When they tell their story, it is easy to forget how young they still are. The thing is, says Luke, when we were going through this the second time I was supposed to be in college. They both seem so much older, or more mature might be the better way to put it. We had to grow up fast, Kate says. Today, four years and three days after they became a couple, they have been through more than some couples go through in 40 years and they are more in love with each other than ever. The dawn of this new year found Luke recovering and feeling ne, Kate was back in college at LLCC and is Luke ready to enroll. It was, Luke decided, the perfect time for what he had in mind. Kates familys church, Chatham Christian, held a New Years Eve party that drew a large crowd, including Kate and Luke. Luke talked to the pastor, the Rev. Steve Daniels, with a request. As the year 2012 was being rung in, Daniels proposed a toast to welcome a new year. Does anyone else have anything to say? he asked. That was Lukes cue. His proposal of marriage was, of course, accepted. Their wedding is planned for spring 2013. By then, the plan is for Kate to have her associates degree from Lincoln Land; she is studying art and psychology. Luke plans to begin LLCCs certied nursing assistant program in a couple of months and hopes to be working by the time he is standing at the altar. Weve already got the in sickness and in health part out of the way, Luke quips. The future is promised to no one, but if there is any justice in the world, they are starting a start a long and healthy life together. It would be understandable if Kate and Luke never wanted to see another hospital or another cancer patient for many, many years. But both of them desire careers in which they can help other cancer patients Luke as a nurse and Kate as a music therapist. And, really, who better to help someone get through it than someone who has been there, either as a patient or as the patients right arm? How much different would their lives have been if it had all gone some other way? Would Luke have come through his ordeal as well as he did? Would Kate be off somewhere enjoying her freshman year of meeting new boys and wondering what path to choose in life? Was it all meant to happen the way it did? That is up to each of us to decide according to what we believe. Kate and Luke know what they know.