CLEVELAND -- Not many people can say they met their soul mate in second grade, except for maybe Ryan and Cari Hyde.

"I remember junior high when I was chasing her and she didn't realize that she liked me yet, but I got to her eventually," Ryan Hyde said.

The Wellington couple's romance continued into college at Cedarville University where Cari and Ryan excelled at athletics, until, without warning, 19 year-old Cari just didn't feel right.

"The whole second semester I was just feeling really tired and lethargic and my lymph nodes started to swell up," Cari Hyde said.

Cari Hyde would eventually learn she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Over the course of the next two years, she underwent intense rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and several agonizing near death experiences.

Cari Hyde said, "There were a lot of times that I wish that I would die and I would be like, 'Why am I still here.'"

But Cari Hyde's faith and her family kept her motivated, and right there with them was Ryan Hyde.

"He literally was willing to give up everything. He was right, right by my side," Cari Hyde explained. "Most guys would not stick around at all."

But he did more than that.

He left school and a promising soccer season. He even shaved his head when Cari's hair started falling out from the chemo.

"There was no doubt in my mind that, you know, this was the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with," Ryan Hyde stated.

And as her body grew weak, his support grew even stronger.

"It just showed me that he was really loyal and he really cared about me and that he loved me a lot," she said.

Finally, Cari Hyde became strong enough to think about her future. She knew it would include Ryan Hyde.

The wedding planning began, and this summer, her parents saw her gracefully move from being a patient to a bride.

"Watching her get married was something we had been waiting for a very long time," her mother, Joyce Greetham said.

The bride and groom were consumed by emotion.

"I overwhelmed with excitement and happiness," Cari Hyde said.

One of her favorite parts was being able to share the day with several of her Cleveland Clinic doctors and nurses who had worked so tirelessly to save her life.

"I was so glad that they could come. I was so glad," she said.

It's been quite a ride for Cari and Ryan Hyde.

Some people might say 22 is awfully young to get married, but this couple has been through more trials than some married couples endure in a lifetime.

"You're watching them get married and you go, okay, when it gets tough are you going be able to be there? He was already there." Greetham said.

The Hydes have now gone back to having fun and pursuing their dream of being teachers.

They already have a long history together filled with intensely happy and sad moments, but their eyes are focused squarely on the future.

Cari Hyde said, "I'm glad that I have him to spend that with...the rest of my life."