Eight years ago, an excited young man was waiting in the lobby of his church with a big grin on his face. When someone yelled, “She’s here, she’s here,” the big grin suddenly disappeared. He turned around and walked into the chapel to wait for his bride. He wanted to make sure he didn’t get a glimpse of her until she walked down the aisle.
The bride was me, and I was so happy to be marrying the love of my life. Oddly enough, I was not nervous at all, well at least not until I saw two big doors open and heard the first beat to “Here Comes the Bride.” Once I got down the aisle and my soon-to-be husband took my hand, I knew everything was going to be OK.
Our wedding day was magical and perfect for us. My husband and I were in our early 20s and really had no idea what we were in for. But being married has been amazing, and I’ve truly enjoyed living life with my best friend by my side.
As the months and years went on, we never thought of the what ifs. We never really talked about what we would want to happen if we were unable to make our own decisions. I didn’t know what my husband would like to happen if he were in an accident or got sick and couldn’t share his thoughts, and he didn’t know what I would want.
We felt uncomfortable talking about it, but it’s a discussion that had to happen. It’s a lot of information, and it’s hard to even know where to start. Luckily, I got my hands on a wonderful Planning Ahead booklet from Health Alliance NorthwestTM.
This booklet really answered all our questions and gave us guidance on where and how to begin, helping us understand what we needed to know about advance directives. It answered questions about power of attorney for health care, living wills and lots more. Plus, it explained how to set up a living will declaration. This booklet helped my husband and me tremendously.
Getting these important conversations and paperwork out of the way gave us much-needed peace of mind. Don’t forget to revisit your decisions when things in life change, and make sure you still agree with what you have in place.
For now, my husband and I get to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy time knowing we’ve already planned ahead. Cheers too many more anniversaries.
Jessica Arroyo is a community liaison for Health Alliance Northwest, serving Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties in Washington. She was born and raised in the Wenatchee Valley. During her time off, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her two very busy kids.