Love is in the air!
32-year-old Arianne June Reid, a blind Filipina, shared how she found “the one” in an online dating app in 2021.
“We met online sa isang Christian dating app. It took me three days to give him my WhatsApp number. And after that, we just started talking and chatting every day,” Arianne told The Philippine STAR in an exclusive interview.
For Elliott Reid, it was love at first sight.
“Oh I think right from the start I knew she was a special person and very wonderful. On her profile, I saw that we shared a lot of the same interests, values. From her photos, I could tell it was very pretty. Very friendly. I knew I wanted to strike up a conversation with her and get to know her better,” he shared.
Arianne admitted that at first, Elliott didn’t know her condition since she wasn’t that sure on what could happen to their conversation in the dating app.
“He told me that he is interested in me. Of course, I didn’t want to hide anything from him so as soon as he told me that he’s interested in me, I told him that I was blind, totally blind,” Arianne revealed.
Elliott stressed, “It came as a little bit of a surprise because I wasn’t expecting it. But I got over it pretty quickly. It really didn’t matter to me.”
As she looked back on the early days of their dating life, Arianne said that she was touched and moved by Elliott’s assurance in their relationship despite her condition.
“I like his answer that time because he said that, ‘I’m sorry to hear that but that doesn’t change how I feel about you.’ So kinilig naman ako,” she recalled.
The two continued to get to know each other through video calls and other messaging apps. Their relationship became exclusive on January 1, 2022.
“He was asking me, kung ano ‘yung gusto kong gift for our anniversary. And I was like, I don’t know, just surprise me or anything. And he was like trying to suggest things. He was like, ‘What about the ring?’ and I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ and then that’s when he said like, ‘Well, I want us to be engaged.’ He was very consistent, persistent,” Arianne said.
Elliot first visited the Philippines in August 2023 to personally meet Arianne and her family.
“When he first met my mom, because my mom immediately asked him what was his intention. And he immediately answered, ‘I will marry your daughter.’ There were people who were telling me that magiging hirap na sa akin makapaghanap ng asawa cause there’s still a stigma in the Philippines about blindness na once you’re blind, you’re useless,” she said.
According to Arianne, her condition was not inborn. She was born with a blind left eye and a working right eye.
“It wasn’t perfect pero useful siya for me to become independent. While working, that’s when I noticed na there was something wrong with my eyesight. Nagiging blurred na siya. So, I took myself to the doctor. That’s when I was diagnosed with retinal detachment. The doctor advised me to undergo two major operations to save my sight. After no’n, hindi nagbago ‘yung sight ko so I had to resign, and then my next operation was August 2018,” she narrated what happened to her eyesight.
Arianne considers her now husband as an “answered prayer” in her life.
“He’s definitely an answered prayer. I have no doubt about that. I love you very much and thank you for being a kind, loving, patient, and great husband to me,” Arianne said to Elliott.
When asked about her message to fellow PWDs she said, “Just never, never lose hope. Just keep praying, keep believing in God, keep believing in love. God will send someone to your life that is, you know, perfect for you. The right person for you at the right time and at the right place at the right moment.”
