VANCOUVER -- Surrounded by the brush strokes of one of the most recognized pieces of art in the world, 48-year-old Don Iverson got on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend Chandra Pope.
The Prince George, B.C. resident, who is battling a form of lymphoma, convinced staff at the Imagine Van Gogh Exhibit in Vancouver to let him pop the question as an illuminated Starry Night filled the room.
“If you looked at my last few rounds of bloodwork, you wouldn’t see anything to be optimistic about, but optimism is the only thing that I feel right now,” Iverson told CTV News outside Vancouver General Hospital where he’s undergoing chemotherapy.
The couple has always loved the painting, and even uttered their first “I love yous” in front of real thing in New York.
“It was a complete shock, I had no idea," said Pope of the proposal. “He has taught me that even when you’re going through something as horrible as he is, that you can still find joy.”
The next few weeks are critical for Iverson. Doctors are trying new treatments, and have been blunt: He has an aggressive form the disease.
But again, Iverson isn’t letting that get him down, and the fact that she said “yes," has only lifted his spirits even more.
“I knew within about five minutes that I wanted to marry her,” he said with a big smile, remembering the couple's first date.
