Nowadays, it seems much more difficult to attain happily ever after, and we witness divorces of people around us all the time, but we should not forget that true love always wins, love conquers all.

As people believe that people with Down’s Syndrome cannot take care of themselves, so traditionally, there have been great concerns about marriages between persons with Down syndrome.

Many experts maintain there are multiple advantages of such a partnership and marriage, which include having a close friend and companion with whom they could share a wide range of experiences and social learning, motivation and emotional development, language stimulation, the sharing of physical chores, greater activity in social and physical events, and a greater exploration of the environment.

The marriage of Maryanne and Tommy Pilling was the first one in the UK, and even though it was greeted with skepticism and even criticism, they proved everyone wrong.

They fell in love and got married in an Essex church two decades ago. This year, they celebrated their 24th year as a married couple proving the test of time and received love from millions of people on social media.

They met at a day center in 1991 and dated for 18 months before Tommy popped the question. To celebrate their anniversary, they re-enacted their first dance from Dirty Dancing to remember the best day of their lives.

Maryanne’s sister Lindi Newman remembers that she dreamed of a big white wedding since she was little, so she eventually had it.

After the wedding, they live independently in their own home, but Lindi and her family live next door to they can be there in case the couple needs assistance.

Maryanne claims that she was shocked when Tommy proposed to her. She adds that they never argue, as they are best friends. They are both grateful to all those who supported their decision, especially Maryanne’s mother.

In fact, when Tommy wanted to propose, he didn’t have enough money to buy the ring so decided to propose with a plastic ring from the vending machine.

Yet, when Maryanne’s mom, Linda Martin, found out about this plan, she helped him choose and buy a ring for her daughter. 24 years ago, when he proposed, his loved one “jumped with joy”.

Ms. Newman adds that two couple offers a positive statement, and when they walk down the street, they hold hands. She told PEOPLE that they love one another dearly, respect one another and are completely honest. She adds that their relationship is so special because it is pure, they don’t understand bad emotions of hate.

She manages a Facebook page dedicated to the couple, and it chronicles their life full of lovely photos that show the way they spend their time together. She says that they receive lots of lovely messages from people inspired by the story.

Their Facebook page has thousands of followers, and it has been inundated with messages in recent days, as people congratulate the couple, and wish them even more happiness, love, and understanding in the future.

People believe they are blessed to have found each other and hope they have any more years together.

Lindi believes that Maryanne and Tommy can provide hope to people worried about their children or grandchildren with Down’s Syndrome, as they can fall in love and live happily ever after too.

She adds that after all these years together, the couple still has the same advice — to be honest, and to spend time together as much as possible.

Sources:
thewildchild.co.za
www.independent.co.uk
people.com
library.down-syndrome.org