Sgt. Joey Johnson met his future wife, Michelle, in 2012, just before a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. His tour in Afghanistan had left him with crippling post-traumatic stress disorder, which he coped with by riding motorcycles. However, these obstacles didn’t stop him from continuing to live his life; in April 2013, Johnson proposed and Michelle said yes.
Every woman has an idea of what her wedding will look like, and as a wedding planner, Michelle thought she knew exactly what the day would hold. What she didn’t expect, however, was to return to the reception hall to see her wheelchair-bound husband standing before her, ready for their first dance.
Joey and his friends had developed a system of pulleys and a harness that allowed him to be at eye level and put his arms around his new bride as they danced to their song. “Everyone was crying,” said Michelle, and you will be, too, when you watch this odds-defying act of love.
Check out more photos of the wedding here. .
[via ABC 7]
Images provided courtesy of LinneaLiz Photography