Man Diagnosed with Dementia Marries Long-Time Girlfriend So He Can Celebrate Wedding Before Symptoms Worsen

For Terry Smith and his longtime partner, Jo Johnson, the promise to stand by each other “in sickness and in health” has taken on a deeper urgency.

Smith, 86, was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, according to the BBC. He and Johnson, 91, have been together for 15 years and always planned to marry one day. But the diagnosis pushed them to bring that plan forward, choosing a date while Smith can still fully recognize and hold on to the memory of their wedding before the condition progresses.

Rather than waiting for a long engagement, the couple decided on a simple civil ceremony. They exchanged vows at the Lowestoft Register Office in Suffolk on Friday, Nov. 21.

“I’ve wanted to get married for a long time, but I never said anything because he’s been unwell,” Johnson told the BBC. “He’s still ill, but he’s happy, and we’re always walking around the house and singing.”

The pair met through Johnson’s daughter, Vicky Sartain, six years after Johnson lost her previous husband. At first, Johnson hesitated to begin a new relationship, feeling it was too soon. Sartain encouraged her mother to open her heart again.

“She was so full of life and really upbeat,” Sartain told the BBC. “She needed to share her love and she needed a companion.”

Smith, with a laugh, remembered that Johnson wasn’t immediately interested. “She didn’t want to know me when I first met her. I don’t know why,” he joked.

Still, they started dating—and quickly became inseparable.

Friday’s ceremony was particularly fitting: it also fell on Johnson’s birthday. She walked down the aisle on the arm of her grandson, Adam, wearing a bright, floor-length dress and carrying a small bouquet.

Looking back on the day, Sartain said she couldn’t be prouder. “I’m very proud of them both. It is an amazing thing they’re doing.”

Registrar David Hunt, who led the ceremony, called it a rare and meaningful moment. He told the BBC it was a “special” experience and said the Smiths may be the oldest couple he has had the privilege to marry.

“I’ve been on a journey with this couple,” Hunt said. “I first met them well over a year ago when they came in to inquire about how they get married. Now, they’ve become almost good friends to me.”