In 2021, Don Iverson’s unexpected proposal to his girlfriend Chandra Pope at the Imagine van Gogh exhibit in Vancouver captured attention when it went viral in a Postmedia story.
This proposal held special significance for the couple due to Iverson’s struggle to express his love during their courtship.
A year before this heartwarming moment, Iverson had been diagnosed with aggressive Stage-IV mantle cell lymphoma, a terminal blood cancer.
Amid the challenges of his diagnosis, he finally spoke the words “I love you” to Pope as they stood before Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In 2021, as Iverson and Pope journeyed from Prince George to Vancouver to explore the possibility of CAR T-cell therapy, Iverson decided to propose once again, this time at the Imagine van Gogh exhibit. The disease later took a toll on Iverson’s health, and he passed away in hospice care in the presence of Pope.
Throughout his illness, he maintained hope and demonstrated his love for Pope through small gestures.
As Pope navigates the grieving process, she expresses gratitude for the medical staff who cared for Iverson in both Prince George and Vancouver. She seeks solace in conversations with other widows and widowers, finding courage in sharing her experiences and memories of Iverson.
While Iverson’s grand gestures, including the van Gogh proposal, left a lasting impact, he had come to realize that the true value of life lies in the smaller moments.
A small Starry Night globe, gifted by Iverson, now serves as a gentle reminder of their journey and the enduring love they shared in Prince George, where Pope resides.
