A Love Letter To Roy Cranman

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we asked Patch readers to write a love letter to that special someone and let us deliver it. This is Karen Botnick Paz and Roy Cranman’s love story:

“If you do not believe in ‘love at first sight,’ you will after you read our story! I had been divorced for 10 years and had almost given up on finding love. Then one day in early December 2015, I got an online message from a handsome gentleman that read, ‘The dating site says that we are a 95% match, do you agree?’

After reading his profile and finding out he was from Savannah, I excitedly asked a friend at work who had lived in Savannah if she knew him. I’m not sure who was more shocked when she said, ‘Not only do I know him, but we were next door neighbors and he is a great guy!’

On December 7, 2015, we arranged to meet for dinner at 7 p.m. at Salt in Roswell. There was an immediate connection. Not only was he cute, but he was easy to talk to and a wonderful listener. Our conversation continued over coffee at the quaint coffee house, Land of a Thousand Hills in Roswell.

At the end of our first date, he asked me what I was doing the next day. I playfully answered that I was having a mammogram, which was the truth. The following evening, I received a thoughtful text asking how my appointment had gone. I was amazed that he had remembered and truly touched by his care and concern. At the end of the text he cleverly gauged my interest by asking if I’d like to get together again and said, ‘Is this Friday too soon or not soon enough?!’

By our second date, he announced that he had taken himself off the online dating site, and I was thrilled to do the same! We were both amazed at how much our lives had in common. We even figured out that he had worked in the office above my father for several years.

The biggest surprise was yet to come. I woke up on December 31, making last minute preparations to entertain friends, excited to ring in 2016 with my new beau. First, I had a scheduled MRI, because of some strange symptoms I had been having. My new boyfriend offered to come with me, but I told him, not to worry, that I was sure it was nothing, and that I would call him as soon as I was done.

Around 1 p.m. I called to let him know that I was done, but they were sending me to the emergency room, because something didn’t look right on the scan. One by one, nine members of my family arrived, as did my boyfriend of three weeks. Imagine, meeting my entire family for the first time in the hospital as emotions ran high and we received the unimaginable news that I had a brain tumor.

We were all in shock from the diagnosis, but then something amazing happened. My new boyfriend sat there holding my hand, reassuring my family that he was not going anywhere. He explained that in the short time we had known each other, he already knew that we had something special and that sticking around was a ‘no-brainer.’

Despite my dreadful diagnosis, I did not shed a tear, because my heart was filled with love. Could it be true that this amazing man was willing to be vulnerable enough to fall in love, faced with so much uncertainty about our future? On January 7, 2016, four weeks after our first date, I had brain surgery. The last thing I remember before they took me back to the operating room, was him whispering in my ear, ‘I love you.’

Now, just over two years later, when we look into each other’s eyes, there is no question that we were meant to be life partners. He has lovingly supported me through surgery and a year of chemo and has patiently been by my side as I have adjusted to my new life, which includes driving restrictions. He continues to be my biggest source of strength and comfort, no matter what the day brings. It is because of him that my life is filled with HOPE, which in our world stands for ‘Have Only PAZitive Expectations’ (my last name is Paz)!

Through it all, we have happily blended our two families, which consist of seven children and two grandchildren. We have created wonderful new memories and shared the kind of love that I thought only existed in books and movies, until we met.

Our friends and family jokingly tease us that we are so well suited for each other that they can’t imagine what we would ever fight about. The truth is we’ve only had one disagreement, and yes, it was over who was luckier! I guess you could say we are both ‘lucky in love.’”

--Karen Botnick Paz

See all Patch love letters here.

For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to know: What place in town will always be a reminder of love for you? Whether it's the park where you had your first kiss or the restaurant where he proposed, email your story to locallove@patch.com for the chance to be featured. Get more details here.