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It all looks so perfect, so right. Here’s Ryan in his impeccable Air Force uniform, standing 15 feet from the Caribbean Sea. He waits on the freshly groomed sand for his wife, Kristy, to appear from behind a natural curtain of roses, daisies, hydrangeas, and sea oats. Of all the locations in the world, Kristy and Ryan have chosen this idyllic spot at Beaches Turks and Caicos to celebrate 25 years of marriage and to give thanks for life itself — and what a life it’s been.

Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

“I want people to see what it can look like when you refuse to ‘settle,’” Kristy said earlier. “Everyone should dream big, no matter their circumstances.”
Ryan faces the ocean and waits. He promised before they were married that he’d be here. Kristy promised too. Those turned out to be ambitious promises considering everything that would confront them. Kristy’s heart stopped at the age of 24. Doctors said she might not live to see her 40th birthday. Other medical conditions would eventually trigger food allergies and unthinkable physical limitations. Their story, however, is far from sad. They wouldn’t change anything about it. “We take in every moment differently now,” Ryan says.

Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

The late day sun lights up the beach from one direction as another light begins to beam from the opposite direction. It’s Kristy. Ryan’s smiling princess directs her wheelchair along a boardwalk, past well-wishers in swimsuits, and emerges from the foliage before gliding down a specially designed ramp to a spot by the sea next to her husband.

The train of Kristy’s dress blends into the white sand, and the late day surf accentuates the voice of a pastor as he reads the most powerful message about love ever written:
Love is patient. Love is kind.
The beach literally glows around Ryan and Kristy.
Love rejoices with the truth.

Flat lay of Kristy and Ryan’s vow renewal invitation and wedding accessories. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

A wedding specialist for Beaches who has witnessed hundreds of ceremonies watches from a distance. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she says, knowing all it took to make the moment possible and the meaning behind the message.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

For the three days leading up to this vow renewal, guests at Beaches could see Kristy exuding the joy of a child set free. She was the first one to the boat that took a group of passengers, including Ryan, their 24-year-old daughter, Davalyn, and 13-year-old son, Timothy, on a snorkeling excursion. She did backflips into the ocean. She swam among the coral. She appeared to be the happiest person among many happy people at Pirates Island Waterpark and at every restaurant she entered.
Her wheelchair just came along for the ride.

Kristy joyfully diving into the Caribbean Sea during a snorkeling excursion. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

“When I travel, I want to do what everyone else is doing,” Kristy says. “Beaches is the only place we’ve found where they remove barriers so we can fully experience the Caribbean. It’s why we came here to celebrate our marriage promises.”

Kristy and Ryan made their first promise 25 years ago in Monterey, California: To love and to cherish, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. They danced at a cliffside reception to John Pizzarelli’s version of Here Comes the Sun, started life together, and a short time later had their promise tested when Kristy’s heart stopped. She received a pacemaker and news that a mix of disorders would eventually rob her of mobility. This is when she made a second promise to Ryan.

“We will raise our children together and I will live to 40 — and beyond.”
Ryan heard conviction in those words and saw a change in his wife.
“She had always been alive — go, go, go. But when her health scares started, she became even more alive. She found a new purpose.”
Kristy still had full mobility when she decided to become a travel advisor and eventually the owner of a business, Incredible Memories Travel, with the intent of filling a gap: To find vacation options for the nearly 20 million people in the U.S. who don’t travel because a disability makes it too difficult.

Catamaran anchored near the shore at Beaches Turks & Caicos, ready for a family excursion. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

“There’s nothing like travel for the soul,” she says. “And it’s especially true for a person whose life revolves around a disability. Travel allows them to break out of the cycle, focus on enjoying life, and build memories.”
She drew inspiration from clients who shared stories about “accessible rooms” at hotels being inaccessible and arriving at destinations only to feel unwelcome. Kristy understood this from the shoes of a mother raising an adopted son born with fetal alcohol syndrome.

“We carried uncertainties wherever we went. Would the hotel property be safe? Would it be fun? Would the staff be helpful? Will we ever enjoy a good travel experience?” Her doubts changed when she took the family to Beaches Turks and Caicos on one of her “research projects.” The food and beverage team set up meals to accommodate Kristy’s and Davalyn’s allergies. Kristy and Ryan didn’t worry about Timothy exploring the property. They met one staff member after another certified in autism training.

“We saw Beaches setting a new standard for people with disabilities because they care,” Kristy says. “It was one of the most amazing places I’d ever seen.”
Still fully mobile, she used empathy to understand what it must be like for her wheelchair-using clients who tried to travel.
“I thought I understood their struggle,” she says, “but I had no idea until that day.”

Wheelchair-accessible beach wedding setup with floral arrangements and ocean view. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

It was a Friday.
“Everything happened so fast,” Ryan says. “I heard Kristy’s voice from another room in the house: ‘Hey, Ryan.’ She sounded different, like … this is not good.”
Kristy couldn’t feel her leg. The disorder causing her spinal cord to collapse had progressed. In a moment, she was among the 8-13% of the population who use wheelchairs, just like the clients she’d been serving.
“I realized first-hand what it’s like to live in a world that isn’t set up for wheelchair users. Door handles, coffee creamer, everything is out of reach. I felt marginalized. It was challenging to simply leave the house, let alone try to travel.”

She took her purpose to yet another level. With her wheelchair, she went out to discover hotels dedicated to innovation and inclusion. She looked for managers who cared enough to listen to ideas. Her mission led her back to the most amazing place she’d ever seen: Beaches. “The people at Beaches did something no one else would do,” she says. “They treated me like family by taking action.”

Using Kristy’s input, the Beaches Turks and Caicos staff added beach wheelchairs, a ramp to the oceanfront, and a gradual apron for rolling into the pool. They trained instructors for adaptive scuba, snorkeling, sailing, and kayaking, and they added a guaranteed accessible room category (with lowered beds), which quickly filled up.
“Most important to our family,” she says, “are the positive attitudes at Beaches. We always feel like they want us to be here. You have no idea what that does for the spirit of a person with a disability. It makes us feel like we can do anything we want to do.”

On this day, Kristy wants a wedding on the beach.

Kristy and Ryan’s intimate beach vow renewal ceremony at sunset with family. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

Kristy and Ryan might be the most contented couple ever on this tropical beach. Kristy kept her promise. She’s living proof that, disability or not, you can be joyful always and you can be grateful in all circumstances.
“I love my family and my life,” she says. “I have no regrets.”

It turns out that Ryan kept a personal promise, too. He’s recently thought back to a conversation he had with a pre-marriage counselor 25 years ago who asked a series of questions, including this one: “If Kristy were ever in a wheelchair, would you still love her?”

Kristy and Ryan share a kiss at their beach vow renewal ceremony, surrounded by love and ocean views. Photo Credit: Amanda Julca

“It didn’t seem like a possibility at the time,” Ryan says.
He answered the question back then with “of course.” He’s answering it today by holding Kristy’s hand and not letting go. A few feet away is a dance floor the Beaches staff designed so Ryan can twirl his princess next to the ocean as their song plays: Here Comes the Sun. You could not imagine a happier place on earth, a more thankful couple, or a better spot to make a new promise.

Kristy and Ryan with their children on the beach after renewing their vows at Beaches Turks & Caicos Photo Credit: Amanda Jucla

“We’ve done the sickness,” Kristy says, looking directly into Ryan’s eyes. “And now I vow to laugh and encourage and dance and love for the next forty years, regardless of what is thrown at us.” Here you go, world. This is what it looks like when you keep big promises and dream big dreams. This is what it looks like to believe.