Hi, folks!

You already know that I am Larry Evenson and I am Maria's fiancé. I just wanted to share with you all our story in my own words.

In early 2002, I was surfing on Internet and I found an handicapped chat site in the UK. I proceeded to join this chat site and began to search the site's Database as many, many people posted messages on this site. I began to read some of these messages until I came across this one post from this girl Maria who said that she was looking for friends and for adaptive devices. It was her name Maria that really got my attention as my mother's name was Marie, as was my grand mother's name, my great grand mother's name and several others female relatives in the family's past tree... So, I did not think twice I wrote to this girl. The next day she did reply to me and we agreed to meet on Yahoo Messenger next day. Maria was saying to me that she did not want a boyfriend at that time, that she just wanted to be friends for the moment. I saw deep into Maria's heart and soul over the coming days as we spent 6, 7 or even 10 hours per day online together. Maria was still saying to me that she was not sure that she want a real boyfriend. I was falling in love with Maria and I realized this was happening to me. Then we exchanged photos, letters and over this period.

I started to see some sort of hurt in her, it appeared to be a very deep hurt which is a personal sort of thing which I will not go into details about right now but I will say that it explained to me why Maria didn't want a boyfriend that time.

Maria and I slowly fell in love and we became engaged to be married on October 18th, 2002, after our being together about six months online in that time. Maria is from Romania, her parents are wonderful people, as is her sister Aurora who is also my sister in my heart. I asked Maria's parents for her hand in marriage and they gave us their approval.

Our intention were to try for a fiancée visa to bring Maria to the United States and we would marry here, but with our both being handicapped things were not going along at a very fast pace. Maria had tried for a visitor visa but was turned down in early December of 2002 by the INS. No reason given, but I feel it was because she has Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy and is in a wheelchair. I am also in a wheelchair but I saw why her visitor visa was turned down with no real reason given for this. Our friend, Mike, was going to sponsor her for this trip even and the INS still turned down her visa.

Then it took me many months here in the States to get the fiancée visa application from the INS. By early September of 2003, the INS finally had sent it to me after about five months of waiting for, this form came in my mail-box. I placed it in with all of my other papers and letters from Maria to begin working on this visa. I had to send her some of these forms as she had to sign three or four of them. But on September 18th, the hurricane Isabel came up the Eastern United States Coast. this hurricane hit central Virginia at about 5 pm. That Thursday night the power went out at 8.30 pm. The wind were over 120 mph, the trees came down outside. All I heard for hours was trees fallen onto cars outside... At 9 pm after half an hour after the power went out, all the emergency lightening in the building, also, failed. I was sleeping when at about 5.30 am I woke up to deep black smoke in my apartment. I heard my two cats Angel and Marty crying out for help... I will never forget those sounds for as long as I live, even if it's another 50 years... My entire apartment building was on fire. I heard people yelling, glass breaking, but not smoke detectors or fire alarms sounded. Everything failed that night in my old building where I lived....

People did finally came to take me out of the building. I was carried out by other tenants. The Fire Department was not even there yet. It took them a very long time to even get the building

I lost everything in the fire, all my clothes, furniture, my business tools and business, the inventory, jewels, rare coins, the TV's, my computer, my Everest&Jennings Lancer 2000 power chair, manual wheelchairs, all my medical aides, just about everything that I ever had. All I lost is about 200 K and to be truthful with, no insurance to cover any of this stuff as I could not afford to insure my things. The building was a total lose. All the 20 apartments were destroyed in the fire. My sweet Maria sent me much in the way of clothes, a winter coat, pants, socks, sweaters, T-shirts, under wares, cups, straws, written papers and envelopes. Maria has been my pillar over these past six moths. Now she is proved and reproved her love for me so after over these past six months. See, Maria has so little for herself, she does not have a power chair. She has a poor handicapped access in Romania. I'm hoping, to be truthful, that we can find a sponsor now so Maria can get to the States as this is what my fiancée and myself both need and desire.

At the present time I'm living in a weekly rental motel room with not phone and no computer. I use the public computer here to go online whenever I can to see my Maria. I do have a PO BOX if anyone would like to write to me, my address is

Mr. Larry Evenson

PO BOX 3326

Fredericksburg Virginia

USA, 22402 - 3326

Maria was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy at age 9. She been going down the mountain since that time as her MD has progressed over the years. Maria been in a wheelchair now for about 8 plus years. All this time she had only two manual wheelchairs which did not give her much independence.

As for my physical problem, as a very young boy I had what was back then termed as floppy muscle syndrome when I was 2 years old and I was given special shoes with Dennison bars on them till I was almost 5 years old, as at age two I was still not walking. Over time I did appear to get stronger and was walking on my own before age 5. I had some muscle weakness in the high school and college but I attributed them to my playing team sport back in those days. After college, in November 1982 I was walking home from my friend, when in a snow storm I was hit from behind by a drunker driver. I was tossed over 300 feet into the air an landed on my spine and neck. I suffered a Spinal Cord Injury at the L1, L2 and C5, C7 levels, transected incomplete spinal lesions. I went in my chair then. I am in a chair now almost 22 years. Then I put Harrington rods along my spinal column at the time to hold things in place, so that I could sit in my wheelchair. In 1996 the Harrington rods broke in my back and I was having some new problems with my arms and breathing, also. The doctors said this was because of the broken Harrington rods. In 2002, with my becoming worse dr. Carr did some medical tests and found out that I had Congenital Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (CMMD). It seems I always had it from birth but it was undiagnosed. So, I do the best that I can with what God is given me.

If anyone would like to donate any sort of funds to us, for any amount as it adds up over time, so that  Maria and myself can one day realize our dream - to be together, married and have enough things, like a bed to chair lift, an electric bed, a power chair for either Maria or I (as I use now the power chair I did bought it for Maria just 3 weeks before the fire) and to either rent or put money down on a small home or apartment which has access. Any help would be appreciated.

Maria's bank account address is valid as it is a handicapped account set up long ago by her in regards to myoblast transplant that she was trying to fund. Our intention is to use any money that we collect to buy our access and to either bring Maria to the United States or to bring me to Romania. Over the time either way will work now for us, my hopes though are still for Maria to come to the States as there is more access for us and we can a better life together. But if Romania is our only way, then I will go to Romania to marry and live with my wife as things should be. If anyone should want donate funds but feel unsafe abut sending funds in the Romanian bank, you can send these funds to Mr. Larry Evenson, PO BOX 3326, Fredericksburg, VA, 22402-3326, in my name. I don't have a bank account now but if funds will arrive, I will set up a bank account in my name until I send to Maria the paper work that her name can be added to this account.

I thank everyone in advance for any and all help that can be given us, either, cash, check donation or even the promises of a sponsorship and job here in the United States for Maria so she can get her visa to come to the USA.

God bless you all!

Your truly,

Larry Evenson

I truly believe God has good future plan for Maria and myself. I dream of our life together, of our wedding and of our chair dance at our wedding reception.

I never found or recover my main coon cat,  my sweet little Angel, not even her body was ever returned to me. My other cat Marty was found 11 days later but I was forced to give him away as I no longer could take care of him.

Last update
17.04.2004

visitors since March 27, 2004

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