Young people with Down syndrome got married in 1995. They were the first people in the UK to get married with the condition. Tommy Pilling and Maryanne Martin got married when they were only 37 and 25 years old, respectively. There were 250 people at their fairy tale-themed wedding.
Even though some people didn’t believe in them, the pair proved those people wrong by having a loving and committed relationship for 25 amazing years. Their love for each other, trust, and respect for each other made them close.
In 1990, Tommy and Maryanne met while working together in the kitchen of a home for disabled people. They quickly found that they loved the same things, like music, food, and movies, and their relationship grew. Tommy, who said he liked Elvis, and Maryanne would often dance together. Their love for each other got stronger over time.
Tommy asked Maryanne to marry him, and her mother said yes. The two then started making plans for their big day.
They moved into the apartment next door after living with Maryanne’s family for seven years. They spent the days doing things they both liked, spending time together, and getting closer.
To make things worse, Tommy’s health started to get worse in 2020, and he was later identified with Alzheimer’s disease. After that, he got COVID-19 and died on January 1, 2021. Maryanne was very sad, but the 25 wonderful years they had spent together made her feel better.
Tom and Maryanne’s love story shows how strong true love and respect can be. Even though things got hard for them, they stayed committed to each other, and over time, their love only grew stronger.
