A man rekindled his romance with his high school sweetheart years after the two met. Thomas McMeekin, a physician, and Nancy Gambell, fell in love more than six decades ago when they were teenagers.
The relationship didn’t work out, they broke up and lost touch until they reconnected last June.
After reuniting, they realized that their feelings for each other were still strong after all this time. Not willing to let this opportunity pass him by, Thomas surprised Nancy with a sweet marriage proposal at the airport.
One of Thomas’ patients, Jojo, captured the moment and shared it on TikTok.
The chain of events began when Nancy flew in to see Thomas in person after they reconnected. The doctor nervously awaited his former girlfriend’s arrival at the airport.
When she arrived at the airport in Tampa, USA, Thomas got down on one knee and proposed to her. He first greeted her with a big smile, presented her with a bouquet of roses, kissed her tenderly and then pulled out a ring.
Nancy was surprised to see Thomas get down on one knee. He serenaded her before asking her to marry him.
Nancy, who had started crying when Thomas made the proposal, quickly said yes, which was followed by cheers from the groom and applause from strangers who had stopped to watch. The happy couple then gave each other a big hug.
Thomas and Nancy met in high school in Quincy, California. The doctor confessed that she was a pretty cheerleader, and he thought she would never want to date him.
“We admired each other from a distance,” he said, recalling that Nancy was very pretty and everyone loved her.
The two went to different colleges, but became sweethearts at that stage. They dated, broke up and lost touch over the years.
They went on to separate lives. Nancy married and had children, and Thomas did the same. They also prospered in their respective professions. And while he settled in Tampa Bay, she settled in California.
For years, they lived their lives until they were reunited at the 60th reunion of the doctor’s institute. He RSVP’d and Nancy told him she was looking forward to seeing him.
The couple admits that the timeline of their relationship has been fast, but they believe their real and strong connection is all they need.
When the two, both 78, met again, they rekindled their love and began to talk. Finally, Thomas told Nancy that they were right for each other and sent her some tickets to come visit him.
When Nancy arrived, Thomas surprised her and asked her to marry him. The man’s employees were at the airport when he made the marriage proposal. The doctor confessed that he had been giddy, jumping and smiling all the previous week.
He is thankful to God that he didn’t have to wear makeup, because he was crying while waiting for Nancy and all that would have run down his face. Now the doctor wants to move to California to live with his future wife for the rest of their lives.
Thomas dressed in a suit, knelt on a pillow and read from a piece of paper as Nancy held his hands:
“My dearest Nancy, it’s been 60 years since we met, 56 years since we first dated, 10 years since I last saw you and 20 days since we started this. I have always liked you, ever since your cheerleading days.”
Thomas told Nancy that he thought about her every day, and that now his heart skipped a beat when he saw her. He described her as an “amazing person,” beautiful inside and out.
Thomas said Nancy had a mind and a sense of humor that amazed him and always made him laugh nonstop.
The doctor also told her that he wanted to grow old with her and wake up in her arms every day. He promised to make Nancy’s days an adventure, to laugh and cry with her and share her dreams:
“So Nancy, I humbly come to you today, June 30, with a proposal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and cherish every moment we spend together.”
The doctor confessed that words could not express how much he loved Nancy, and promised to spend the rest of his life making her happy. Thomas noted that he would make sure they would support each other through thick and thin. He asked her:
“Nancy, will you grant me the honor of being my soul mate in life? My companion in every sense of the word, my beloved wife forever? Will you marry me?”.
Thomas gave Nancy a necklace with their birthstone when he proposed to her. The couple admits that the timing of their relationship has been fast, but they believe their real and strong connection is all they need.
Nancy said they don’t have much time left, and spending it with the person she loves is a dream come true. In turn, Thomas said he believes God had something to do with them finding each other and loving again, “This was meant to be.”
Thomas and Nancy can now spend their lives together, having found another chance at love 60 years after they first met.
