Chasity & Grant

BRIDE'S BIO

Chasity Turnquist grew up in rural Minnesota, not far from Lake Superior. You'll hear her accent on certain words like bag and home and about, though she tries not to say, "eh," too often in conversation. Chasity's entire family lives in the small town of Two Harbors, MN and although she is an only child, Chasity grew up with many, many cousins that she considers siblings.

Being an only child, Chasity's parents were reluctant to see her off to college and certainly hesitated when she decided to end her studies and head to Los Angeles, California to produce movie trailers for major Hollywood studios. While working as a producer in a busy Hollywood office, Chasity met Anthony Glass, a film editor. What started as a genuine friendship, soon became a love story as the two began dating. However, just as they discovered their love, Anthony was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He lost his battle with cancer in July of 2006.

Chasity lived in Los Angeles for twelve years, working in film marketing. Previous jobs included working as a gas station attendant, a maid, a nanny, a model, a medical insurance biller, and a landscape designer. She is now a writer living in Portland, Oregon, currently finishing her first book, an e-memoir entitled: even if i am.

Chasity met her fiance, Grant Roesler, in early 2011 as both volunteered with Oncology Youth Connection, a nonprofit that supports teens and young adults with cancer. They plan to be married in 2012.

GROOM'S BIO

The youngest of two boys, Grant Roesler was born on November 15, 1983 in Portland Oregon. His father was a self-employed general contractor. Grant lived his entire life in the Portland area, with the exception of his college years that he spent in Spokane, Washington attending Whitworth University where he graduated with a degree in Political Science.

Less than a month after Grant graduated from high school in 2002, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, an aggressive, fast-growing cancer that presented as a large tumor in his chest. Rounds of chemo and radiation treatments were successful and he was eventually able to complete college.

During and immediately following college, Grant volunteered with various cancer organizations including the American Cancer Society (as a camp counselor) and Children's Cancer Association (where he volunteered, and ultimately worked for a period of time).

It was during this time that he, and his friend John Blalock (a pediatric oncology nurse) began discussing the need for more specific programs to address the unique needs of the teen and young adult patients. They formed Oncology Youth Connection (OYC) in the fall of 2008, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring resilience in teens and young adults diagnosed with cancer. With the goal of growing the impact and visibility of the nonprofit, Grant has sought jobs that offered flexibility and hours (often at lower pay) that allow him to volunteer several hours a week with OYC.

Grant currently works as a research assistant at OHSU Knight Cancer Center. He still serves on OYC's Board of Directors, and spends several hours each week helping to create beneficial programs and resources for young cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors, as well as increasing community awareness of issues facing young adults the disease.

WHY SHOULD WE WIN THE WEDDING GIVEAWAY?

The new Abernethy Chapel looks like the wedding chapel that little girls dream about. A fairy tale chapel in the woods where the prince and princess get married and live happily ever after.....

To receive this Dream Giveaway Wedding Package would allow us a storybook beginning for this new chapter in both of our lives. The previous chapter, for both of us, was a difficult one. To really understand what this wedding would mean to us, you must understand what we have come through. Reflecting on the past sometimes makes one appreciate and cherish the present. So it is with us. We have discovered that our hearts were being knit together long before we ever met.

Chasity's Story....

I grew up loving the movies. I loved the art, the ability to tell a story, the impression the filmmaker could leave with his or her audience. When I had the opportunity to go to Hollywood, I jumped at the chance.

It was while I was working as a producer in a busy Hollywood office, that I met Anthony, one of our editors. What began as a genuine friendship, soon became a love story. Sadly, just as we discovered our love, Anthony was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.

Not knowing he had just weeks to live, Anthony proposed we marry. It became his focus and his single goal. We planned a backyard ceremony, but when the day came he was too weak to leave his bed. There were just a handful of people by his bedside. Sadly, my parents were unable to get there from Minnesota in time. With only a few days to plan the wedding, little focus was given to flowers, receptions, or selecting a photographer. There were no waiting limos or wedding suites. In spite of that, Anthony told me it was the happiest day of his life.

He died early the next morning.

After three months I tried to go back to work. But I found the "tinsel" of Tinseltown had lost its appeal for me. I longed for a simpler life of the things that really matter. I moved my belongings back to Minnesota and did some traveling. I needed time, and a change of pace. I had to find a new "normal". I never expected to find love again.

During my travels I started writing to Anthony, as a way to process my grief. I read and re-read my emails to and from him, and decided to compile them into a book. (An e-memoir entitled even if i am.) As I was working on the book, I began to think about where I wanted to live. I had friends that lived in Portland so I thought I'd visit and see if the Pacific Northwest was as great as I had heard.

About that time, I came across an article in the Oregonian about an organization in town whose focus was to help young adults with cancer. I called the contact name given and arranged to meet him and share my story and my book, with hopes of volunteering with the organization. The person I met that day was Grant.

Grant's story....

It was 2002. I had just graduated from high school and was excited to be heading off to college in the fall. I would be roommates with Kyle, one of my best friends from high school, and we were anxious for the adventure that awaited us.

A nagging cough prompted me to go to the doctor, where he prescribed antibiotics for what he thought was bronchitis. When the cough worsened after a couple of weeks, I went back in for what I presumed would be a stronger dose. Instead, tests revealed a large tumor in my chest. On July 5th I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and hospitalized.

As one-by-one my friends left for college, I stayed behind to face multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and later daily radiation treatments. I knew my friends were off making new friends at college, yet here I found myself getting acquainted with other bald patients that were more than twice my age in the chemotherapy treatment room at OHSU. The closest to my age was Danny, another Non-Hodgkin's patient, who had just turned 50. I was just 18.

Eventually my treatments came to an end. Although my hair grew back, I found things didn't get "back to normal" as I had hoped. Things were different because I was different. The way I looked at life had changed. It took some time, but slowly I found my new "normal".

I started college the next year. During college breaks I began volunteering with various cancer organizations to fulfill an intense desire to do something meaningful and "give back". Following college, one of those organizations hired me and I served for a time as their Family Liaison at Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

It was during that time that I began talking with one of the nurses I had met at a camp for kids with cancer where we both had been counselors. John and I recognized the need for an organization designed to specifically meet the unique needs of teens and young adults through their cancer treatment and the transition period that follows. In 2008 we formed Oncology Youth Connection (OYC), a nonprofit designed to inspire resilience in teens and young adults with cancer. The organization offers patient, survivor, and co-survivor support; community education (through an informative high school curriculum and other outreach events), and a grant opportunity offered to young survivors between the ages of 18 and 30 to pursue something in their lives that was either delayed or inspired by their cancer diagnosis.

It was in January 2011 that I received a call from a young author visiting Portland who had learned about OYC and the work we were doing with young adults with cancer. We met for coffee and I talked to her about her book and about OYC. Her name was Chasity.

Our Story...

The two of us seemed to have an instant connection. Our first meeting was at a little coffee shop in SE Portland where the conversation flowed easily. It seemed the experiences that had shaped each of us gave us insight into the other. If nothing else, we were each grateful to have found a friend that "got" us.

Here we are, nearly a year later and very much in love. As we worked together to grow the impact and reach of Oncology Youth Connection, our feelings for each other grew as well. We are grateful that God has given us a second chance at life and love.

We would be SO very grateful to have our wedding day be one that is a truly magical moment by winning this wedding package. This gift would allow us to invite the family and friends who prayed each of us through our darkest days to share in our special day, which otherwise we would not be able to afford to do. Neither we, nor our parents are in a position financially to afford such a wedding. We are, however, not complaining as we know better than most that we already have what is truly important. We are grateful to have our health, our faith and a future to look forward to.

What we love about each other...

Grant: "One of the things I love about Chas is how real and genuine she is. She gets me. I'm so comfortable with her and our relationship is so easy. She makes me happy. She gets my jokes (believe me, that's HUGE). I can relax with her and be myself. I knew I would marry her during a road trip to Minnesota last summer. We were having so much fun together and it occurred to me, I could do this the rest of my life."

Chasity: "What I love most about Grant is his big heart. He models unconditional love. He is always going out of his way to help people and he is so accepting of me. He makes me feel loved and protected. I love how giving he is (he sold his car to buy my ring). I'm grateful to have him in my life."