A first date, first kiss, first anniversary: These are some important milestones in a romantic relationship, but they pale in comparison to one overlooked step.
“It just felt right,” Anna Wilson said of the milestone she recently reached in her relationship. She’s been dating her boyfriend, Austin House, for ten months, and this week she announced how serious it is: she removed her medical bracelet while at his apartment last night.
“Everyone knows that you’re not truly naked — vulnerable — until the medical bracelet comes off,” Wilson said. “He’d never seen me without it before, and it was like a wall I was keeping between us. It was time to let it down.” She noted that she has some severe medical conditions and has given House information on each one. It takes a lot to trust anyone with that responsibility, but she felt she had adequately prepared him for anything that might happen.
Wilson printed out a quick information sheet and put it on his fridge, just in case! They had spent the previous night reviewing how to use an Epipen and her other rescue medications. And House is a fast learner. He’d already spent some time Googling each of her conditions and allergies, so he had a good baseline.
Thus, after a “major nine” allergen-free dinner and dessert, Wilson undid the clasp of the bracelet. Even just that seemingly simple task was not easy; the bracelet was designed to stay on no matter how the wearer moves. It took her a full minute to open the clasp, but the stainless steel bracelet finally came undone and hit the table with a loud clang. The apartment was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and the bracelet fell with the gravity of a thousand bricks.
“I wasn’t even sure if she had a left wrist until now!” House joked, but he knew this was serious and there would be no going back now.