Hyannis couple gets married one year early after bride's ALS diagnosis

HYANNIS, Mass. — For many, being diagnosed with a terminal disease would halt any and all long-term life plans.

But not for one couple in Hyannis.

Bunni Rose-Walls, a fitness instructor from the small Cape Cod town, was as healthy as can be, which is why her ALS diagnosis came crashing in like a bull on the loose.

Five years ago, Rose-Walls participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In May of 2019, after going to doctor's appointments for over a year, she learned that the muscle weakness in her right arm was due to ALS.

"I didn't realize there were normal, active, healthy people just like me that got this disease that ultimately crippled them," said Rose-Walls.

What Rose-Walls also didn't know was that her partner, Mike Walls, had plans to ask her to marry him.

"Probably some time around June I would do a proposal, try to set something up big and maybe a year from that point have time to set up for a wedding," said Mike Walls.

Rose-Walls said she completely understood if he didn't want to stick around after the diagnosis.

"I'm like, 'If you want to run for the hills, I don't blame you because this is gonna get ugly down the road,'" said Rose-Walls. "And he said he wasn't going anywhere."

With her diagnosis, suddenly the option of waiting around for another year was out of question. Mike then proposed they marry over Labor Day.

"If you Google what is the life expectancy after diagnosis, Google will tell you three to five years," said Mike Walls.

Months earlier than planned, Mike and Bunni tied the knot at a nearby beach, with their dog as the flower girl.

Guests and even the photographer were overrun with emotion, knowing what the couple had been through and the new journey they were now going to face together.

"Trying to take photos, [then] crying, [then] trying to take photos which was really hard so I had to keep running away [and] coming back," said Helen Coombs, the photographer. "I've never done that before - cried while photographing a wedding. It was just so emotional."

Now husband and wife, Bunni and Mike say they came to terms with the reality of the situation and are trying to make the best of the time they have together.

"You can, you know, dwell on it, be miserable about it [and] waste precious time," said Rose-Walls. "Or you can make the best of it with the time that you have. You know, love life and live it and that's what I'm going to do. That's what we're going to do."

Watch: MGH ALS trial could bridge gap between trials and treatments

Cox Media Group