For days, Ryan Williams carried a sparkly engagement ring in his pocket, waiting for the perfect time and place to propose to his girlfriend, Heather Callahan.
He found exactly what he was looking for on a breezy, sunny afternoon in what may seem like an unlikely backdrop for a romantic engagement: a garden at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
But Williams, 22, knew the hospital garden, a lush outdoor space dotted with daffodils and dogwood trees, held special significance for his girlfriend of three years. Callahan, 19, who refers to herself as a “frequent flier” at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in her large intestine when she was 16.
Over the years, Callahan, who grew up in Smyrna, has undergone several procedures, and she sees gastrointestinal specialists on a regular basis to help manage her health woes. All the while, the garden at Children’s has remained a constant source of comfort, a place of healing.
On March 6, Callahan and Williams were at the hospital not for Callahan but to visit a young patient when Williams seized on just-the-right moment to pop the big question. Williams had accompanied Callahan to visit Maylee Highland, a 4-year-old girl undergoing treatment for a blood cancer. Callahan met Maylee and her family through a friend and has visited the young girl several times.
On this particular afternoon, Callahan and Maylee went to the garden area to play hide-and-seek, one of Maylee’s favorite games.
“Heather was in her element,” said Williams, who grew up in Detroit. “It was a beautiful moment and I just thought now is the perfect moment.”
So at the very last round of hide-and-seek, Callahan and Maylee turned around a corner, and there was Williams, down on one knee on the grass.
Callahan said yes to the love of her life. The happy couple looked up and saw doctors, nurses and young patients and their families watching from inside the hospital, applauding and cheering.
Williams and Callahan met three years ago while working together at a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta.
Callahan, now a student at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, said she was going through a tough time, feeling discouraged by her illness, when Williams, her then-new co-worker, invited her out to a movie, and they connected immediately. The bond has deepened over time.
“He became my rock,” Callahan said. “He has been there for me when things hit rock bottom, and he has stayed. And he gives the best hugs in the whole world.”
Williams said while Callahan’s health issues can be difficult at times, he is committed to doing everything he can to help her.
“Sometimes I feel like I am not doing enough, but she reassures me I am doing enough, I am doing everything I can to make her happy,” said Williams, a specialist with the U.S. Army who works as a cable installer.
With Williams preparing for deployment in a few weeks, the couple moved up their wedding date. They tied the knot at a chapel in Augusta on March 25.
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