Stephanie Thomas

There are people who walk beside us for only a chapter of our lives. And then there are those who become part of our hearts forever. Stephanie was both to me.

We met and fell in love in October 1995. What began as a chance meeting grew into a love that would shape our lives for many years—a love that would bring us together, tear us apart, and somehow always remain between us. Together, we performed with my band until 1999, wrote countless songs, and shared dreams, hopes, and the belief that music could express what words alone never could.

Our relationship was never simple. Between 1995 and 2004, we found each other, lost each other, and found each other again. Yet even during the times we were apart, there was something neither of us could ever truly let go of. From 2005 until 2008, we finally had the chance to build a life together as a family.

Together, we raised her two wonderful sons. Although I was not their biological father, I was privileged to help guide them through part of their childhood. The fact that her eldest son bears my name has always been one of the greatest honours of my life—a reflection of the trust and love Stephanie placed in me.

When I faced what was undoubtedly the darkest period of my life between 2004 and 2005, she never left my side. She carried me when I could barely carry myself. For that, I will remain grateful for as long as I live.

For a brief and precious moment, we experienced what felt like complete happiness. Then, in 2007, everything changed. Our daughter was born with a severe heart defect and passed away after only a few short weeks. With her, a part of us died too.

There are griefs that words can never truly describe, and losses from which no one ever fully recovers. Losing our daughter left wounds so deep that, in the end, even our love could not heal them. At the beginning of 2008, we made the heartbreaking decision to part—not because we had stopped loving one another, but because we believed it was the right thing to do for the sake of our other children.

For twelve years, silence stood between us. Where we had no contact at all. It was only after Stephanie was diagnosed with cancer that we found our way back into each other's lives. Suddenly, the years apart no longer seemed to matter. We never returned to the relationship we once had, but we rediscovered something that had never truly disappeared: mutual respect, an unbreakable bond, and a friendship stronger than all the hurt we had endured.

Stephanie and I loved each other, argued, drifted apart, and found one another again. Ours was never a perfect story, but it was a real one. Our relationship was built not only on profound love, but also on a friendship that survived every mistake, every hardship, and every twist of fate life placed before us. Some bonds cannot be broken by time, distance, or even loss. Ours was one of them.

On 21 July 2023, Stephanie lost her battle with cancer.

The world lost an extraordinary woman—a devoted mother, a gifted songwriter and musician, a fighter, and someone whose heart was far bigger than she ever gave herself credit for.

To many, she will remain a cherished memory. To me, she will always be part of my story. Part of my life. Part of my heart.

People say that time heals all wounds. I have never believed that. I think some wounds simply become part of who we are. Yet every scar also reminds us of the love that came before it.

Stephanie will always have a place in my heart. Not because our story was free from pain, but because it was filled with love.

And some loves do not end with goodbye.

They simply take on a different form.

Rest in peace, Stephanie.

I will love you, and I will remember you, for the rest of my days.