Emma and Stephen grew up just four miles away from each other in Saddle River, NJ, and Suffern, NY, yet their paths never crossed during their childhood and teenage years. They both then went away to school at Ithaca College, living across the quad from one another without ever meeting.

Nonetheless, fate finally intervened in 2022 while Emma was treating her favorite patient - and Stephen’s grandmother - Ann De Paola, when she met a special someone … Stephen’s dad.

After they got to talking about how much Emma and Stephen had in common, his father knew what he had to do; ask Emma for her number…for Stephen, of course.

He assured Emma his son was “handsome” and “normal” so she reluctantly said yes. Stephen called her the next day, so obviously Emma did what any normal girl would do and did not answer him.

After a second phone call and a 45-minute conversation with an apology about his eager father, he asked Emma out for coffee. Well, that date lasted almost 4 hours and was just the first of the many dates to come!

Their most special date involved Emma’s love - and Stephen’s fear - of horses. This was the day Stephen proposed to Emma. The two are now set to get married September 15th, 2024.

Emma, Stephen, and their two dogs, Chaco and Oakley, have made so many memories together exploring different places on the map and they can’t wait to see where life takes them on this next adventure.

So, moral of the story if your patient’s son asks you to go out with their son, take a leap of faith and say yes!