Hannah & Ian

Since the start of The True Gem company, the Love Stories received by our community have been an integral part of who we are and what we stand for. Reading through these Love Stories has left our team feeling as though WE are the ones on the receiving end of it all. So thank you, from all of us, for being so raw and real. It has been a truly humbling experience for us to read your stories and celebrate with you in this way, and we are excited to now be able to share that experience with our very own True Gem community, the authors of the Love Stories themselves!

We hope you enjoy reading these Love Stories as much as we have. We feel honored to be able to celebrate love with each and every one of you!

Ian and I started dating in 2013. While they have been good, the past seven years have been anything but easy and we have had an extraordinarily rough year. In the past year, I underwent six surgeries and was hospitalized for 40+ days. I ended up having to take a medical leave of absence from graduate school and from work while I was in the hospital, and then subsequently, received several months of home health services as I was not allowed to leave our home and was hooked up to a bag of nutrition for 24 hours a day.

Through it all, Ian stood by my side. He worked extra hours when I couldn’t work to help make ends meet. He slept in the car outside of medical exams and surgeries more times than I can count so he would be there as soon as I got out. He was my rock when I became unable to walk, stand, or speak (and he even started to learn sign language so that we would have a way to communicate). Despite consistent bad news from my medical team and being told that my condition was critical, he stood by my side, helped me keep faith, and stayed positive when I struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I truly do not know how I would have gotten through everything without him by my side. I’ve known that Ian is “my person” for many years, but this past year really solidified that for me. I am forever grateful for his love and so appreciative of Ian, our relationship, and all he has done and continues to do for us.

Winning the Season of Gratitude Giveaway was a huge game changer for us. We’ve been looking at rings since 2017 but with an excess of medical bills and more piling up constantly, getting engaged with my dream ring had not been an option for us. Ian was finally able to buy my dream ring (The Jennie Ring) after we won the giveaway!

This March, we decided to take a trip to the mountains for my birthday before an upcoming surgery I will be undergoing. We have never had a chance to take a real vacation together and I was desperate to get away from everything for a bit. Ian proposed on the Blue Ridge Parkway overlooking the most beautiful mountain range and it could not have been more perfect. I have imagined my engagement for years and years, yet it was far more perfect than I had ever envisioned.

We feel so so blessed to be able to share our love story and even more blessed that I get to wear my dream ring and represent a company and community that I am so proud to be a part of! Thank you for making our dreams come true! - Hannah