Florida couple marries 20 years after meeting as kids at their doctor's office

Mark Daughtery and Samantha Settle think it's important to "live life to the fullest," and plan on doing so together.

Daughtery, 26, and Settle, 23, first met when they were young children, both diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He was 5 and she was 2, and because they both had the same doctor, they often ran into each other at his office. They understood what it was like to fight leukemia and go through chemo at such a young age, and they became best friends. "It was always natural to laugh and enjoy time with her," Daughtery told ABC News.

Both attended Florida State University, and that's when they began dating. After becoming engaged, they knew one person who had to get an invitation to their May wedding: Dr. Fouad Hajjar, their doctor at Orlando's AdventHealth for Children. Daughtery and Settle are leukemia-free, and "to see them now as adults, a married couple, is just so humbling and so awesome," Hajjar said. "It's not just saving lives, but also saving a lifetime of memories." Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up