Every single day, there are men and women who are sacrificing their lives for their country. Risking their lives at all costs is what it’s all about. This holds true for one particular man. Staff Sgt. Jesse Cottle was serving in Afghanistan for his deployment, where he was severely injured due to a roadside bombing.
Cottle was 24 years old at the time, and he lost both of his legs that day of the bombing.
It took months and months of intensive care and recovery before Cottle was allowed to leave the hospital.
It was a huge adjustment for him, but he began to regain his confidence where he started to show his face all over the world. He spoke about his injury and his brand new prosthetic legs that he was given. Along the way on the road to recovery, Jesse met the love of his life at an event in San Diego, that would soon be his wife. Her name was Kelly, and she loved him even after everything that he had been through.
The couple was married not much longer. Four years after, the two traveled to Boise, Idaho where they were going to meet up with Kelly’s family. Together they all had family portraits done, and afterwards Kelly had her husband on her back where she was going to take him back to get his prosthetics.
The photographer stopped the couple and told them to pose for a picture just as they were. The photo eventually was posted on Kelly’s Facebook page where tons and tons of people were commenting, liking, and sharing the photo. It went viral in no time.
The couple had made an appearance on Good Morning America where they spoke about the picture that gained so much attention, as well as their marriage, and Jesse’s road to recovery.
In an interview speaking about the photo, Jesse had said, “I actually look at it very much as a symbol pretty much for our whole relationship in general. She is physically carrying me, but man, there’s times when she’s carrying me emotionally.”
Without his injury, Jesse very much believes that he would not have met such an incredible woman like Kelly. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
H/T Thoughtful Women