Sometimes love stories start off like a fairy tale.Sometimes they start with a hospital diagnosis.However, it may arrive at its “happily ever after” — love always seems to win, even when it stands against leukemia.At least, Apurva Agarwal and Anirudh Sriprakash’s story says so.

Apurva Agarwal’s story of resilience

For Apurva, who is an advocate, writer, and specialty food strategist as per her Instagram bio (agarwalap), and splits her time between Delhi and Chicago, life looked picture-perfect when she was planning her “dream wedding.”But not long before the day of her wedding with Anirudh Sriprakash’s wedding, when all the planning was done, and their families were ready to celebrate in Mysuru, everything changed with just one doctor’s call.In November 2022, just a month before their big day, Apurva was made aware of the truth that she had T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia — a tough, fast-moving blood cancer.For the next couple of years, the wedding took the backseat while her health journey took precedence. Apurva, along with her fiancé and family members, had to put aside all those wedding plans and focus on survival. Life turned into hospital stays, doctors’ appointments, and rounds of chemotherapy. Instead of worrying about dresses or menus, the couple was fighting to get Apurva through treatment.Apurva kept documenting her health journey post her cancer diagnosis, and their story wound up all over social media — not for heartbreak, but for the kind of dedication and togetherness that shows what it means to really stick around when things get rough.It ended up taking nearly three years (1,123 days, to be specific) before they finally got the celebration they’d dreamed of. By the time Apurva walked down the aisle, her journey wasn’t just about marriage. It was a celebration of survival.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.

What’s T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?

For the unversed, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive and fast-growing type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow. It starts in the bone marrow and disrupts the development of T-cells, which are crucial components of the immune system that kill infected cells. The cancer takes place when the body produces too many abnormal, immature white blood cells called T-lymphoblasts. These cells cannot mature to fight infections and instead crowd out healthy blood cells.For Apurva, the diagnosis hit like a tidal wave. T-ALL moves fast, and treatment needs to start immediately. Apurva spent almost a month in the hospital, facing round after round of chemo. The wedding, of course, got put on pause.Now, a lot of people don’t notice the early signs of T-ALL because they can look like regular infections or fatigue. People might feel exhausted, run fevers, bruise easily, or deal with mysterious aches. Sometimes swollen lymph nodes make breathing even harder.Doctors still aren’t entirely sure what causes this disease. Sure, there are known risk factors, but for plenty of folks, the disease appears out of nowhere.

Apurva and Anirudh’s ‘happily ever after’

Like every couple facing extraordinary adversity, Apurva and Anirudh, too, had their share of trials and tribulations.At first, Apurva gave Anirudh an out. She told him he could leave; no one expects to swap wedding plans for cancer wards. But Anirudh refused. He doubled down on his promise to stick it out — talk about “in sickness and in health!”He became caregiver, cheerleader, and steady hand at Apurva’s side. He brought her food, learned confusing medical terms, kept her company, and helped her through the hardest moments. Even when chemo made her lose her hair, he reminded her she was still the same person he loved.Instead of waiting for treatment to end, the two decided to get married quietly at a family member’s home in Chicago. It wasn’t the grand Indian ceremony they’d planned or dreamt of, but it was a real one. In fact, maybe even more meaningful, given all they’d already survived.Meanwhile, treatment for T-ALL isn’t simple or fast. There’s chemo, sometimes targeted drugs or immunotherapy, and everything comes with side effects that go way beyond the cancer itself. It’s a battle that drags on for months or years — the waiting, the checkups, the fear. Through it all, Apurva kept fighting with Anirudh and their families around her.Eventually, Apurva received her good news: she was cancer-free, at last.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.The couple finally returned to the wedding they’d put aside for years. They picked the same Mysuru venue, the same dates as before. Only now, every guest knew how much had to happen just for this day to come.There were even signs at the party: “We have waited 1,123 days for this day, party accordingly.” The ceremony became much more than a ritual. It became a celebration of surviving as much as getting married.And as for Apurva’s parents, the wedding reclaimed joy that cancer had nearly stolen. For Apurva and Anirudh, it was the ending, as well as the beginning, they’d been fighting for.