My boyfriend didn't want me to become his carer so he dumped me

Lucy*, then 29, was heartbroken when her boyfriend, George*, 28, received a life-changing medical diagnosis that ultimately ended their relationship.

Fifteen years later, I’m happily married and have a family of my own, but I often still think about George, my boyfriend from my 20s. He’s the sole reason I believe in 'the one that got away'.

George and I met in our mid-20s. I had gone for a mountain hike with a friend and met George at the summit, where we ended up sitting and chatting for a good 30 minutes. Before heading down, we asked George to take a photo of us. And then I asked for his number.

The two of us had an instant connection. We went on our first date the next week, and what was supposed to be a quick coffee turned into us cancelling plans so we could continue the day together. We’d both been raised in small, active families and had a shared love of hiking and the outdoors.

Falling in love

George and I spent nearly four years exploring the world together, going on as many hikes and trips together as we could. We talked about getting married and spending our lives together. He even promised me that our engagement would come when I least expected it – he wanted it to be a surprise.

But just before his 28th birthday, George’s health went downhill. His vision became blurred and he started to get tremors – they were subtle and infrequent at first, but became more and more intense. I begged George to go to the doctor, but he was stubborn and was always putting it off.

To be honest, I think he was more afraid than anything. But when he started getting dizzy spells and losing his balance, we both knew there was no more time to waste.

Bombshell news

I was with George through his testing and final diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. It was devastating. We didn’t know a lot about the condition and didn’t know how quickly or intensely the disease would progress. But we both knew that George’s life was going to change drastically, and it did.

We tried to carry on life as normal – still going on (smaller) hikes each weekend, and staying as active as possible. But anyone who knew George could tell that he was slowing down.

Eight months after his diagnosis, George sat me down and delivered a heartbreaking speech. He told me that he couldn’t keep up with our active lifestyles anymore, but that it wasn’t fair for my life to change too. He knew how important it was for me to stay active, and inevitably, we wouldn’t be able to do those things together for much longer.

"I don’t want you to become my carer and resent me for it," he said gently, with tears in his eyes.

I tried to fight for us, but we both knew that he was right. There was no doubt that my lifestyle was going to change too, and the last thing I’d ever want is to resent him for something out of his control. We spent our last night together reminiscing about all our wonderful times together and promising each other that the break-up was for the best.

Moving on

Unfortunately, George and I didn’t stay in touch for long. We last saw each other three months after our split, and sadly, his MS was more aggressive than either of us expected. I hated seeing him in that state, and I felt incredibly guilty that I wasn’t there to support him. But at the same time, it reassured me that we had made the right decision together.

It’s now been more than 15 years since George and I were together. I have a family of my own and love my husband deeply, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I still wonder what could have been between George and me. We had a kind of love that I’ve never experienced before, and one that I hope everyone gets to experience one day.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Read more: All of Yahoo UK's How I was dumped stories.