Ooh la la! Mais Oui!
Monday 8th February 2010
Here, take a photo of Ian and me,' I said, passing my sister, Liz, 33, my camera and striking a pose. It was 10 August 2009 and my boyfriend Ian Burrell, 31, and I had gone away to France with Liz and her husband, Jim, 33.
Boy, did we need a holiday.
Eighteen months earlier, I'd been diagnosed with porphyria, a condition where an enzyme deficiency meant that prophyrins, compounds found naturally in the blood, build up to toxic levels. Attacks left me feeling sick, weak and in pain. And I knew it could get worse. In extreme cases, sufferers experienced palpitations, seizures and even paralysis. The condition is genetic and Liz had been diagnosed with it at 19, so I'd known exactly how bad it was, and had been horrified to be diagnosed myself.
Ian and I had only just moved in together at the time.
'You don't have to stick around,' I'd reassured him. I didn't want to be a burden.
'Don't be daft,' he'd said straight away. 'I love you. I'm going nowhere.'
But it had felt like my life was on hold.
I had to give up my job as a training and development specialist at a local software company,
and have a permanent tube put under the skin in my chest for the regular IV treatment that I needed.
Money was tight and I was sick of feeling unwell.
But by August, the treatment finally started to work and I was well enough for our camping holiday in Normandy. Ian had insisted we go on a day trip to Paris early, so that Liz and I had the energy, and before the crowds built up.
So here we were, posing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Only, as I waited for Liz to take the photo, Jim burst out laughing.
'What's so funny?' I said, turning to my right to look at Ian, confused.
Only when I looked, Ian wasn't next to me anymore.
He'd dropped down on one knee and was looking up at me, holding a small, closed box with 'Samara James' written on it.
Was this a joke? If it was, it was just mean…
Then Ian opened the box and I saw the most beautiful, round-cut diamond solitaire ring inside.
I burst into tears.
When I looked, Liz was crying too!
'W-well?' Ian stammered. 'You haven't said “yes”.'
'Oh,' I gasped. 'Yes! Of course!'
With that, he swept me into his arms and all the watching tourists burst into applause. My Ian has the best heart in the world and I can't wait to be his wife. We've set a date for October 2011, to give me time to get better, and also so we can save up.
But for the time being, I'm still flying high from Ian's wonderful proposal.
Visit www.samarajames.com