A Thank you from the Bennetts

A heartfelt thank you from a recent couple's vacation.

Dear Reefs team,

We just came home from our trip to your resort. This was our second time visiting your incredible facility and once again we were awed and overwhelmed by the beauty and the atmosphere of your incredible hotel.

We were the random winner of the "Show Your Love" contest and I can't begin to express how needed and appreciated this trip was.

In the past 4 years my husband has undergone two stem cell transplants to fight his recurring cancer. As a result of the most recent transplant, he is now battling Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) which is basically his immune system rejecting the new cells. Daily he suffers from debilitating muscle cramping, fatigue, weakness, and other various side effects. But being the special man he is, one would never know the pain he suffers in silence.

As one can imagine, the difficulty of facing a life threatening illness, not once, not twice, but three times along with the unknown fear of what will happen to him if the GVHD progresses can put a huge strain on not only an individual but also on a couple. We are very fortunate that the extra costs associated with his illness have not been a huge burden on us financially, but there are certain things we have had to "tighten our belts" on doing. Vacationing is one of them. We would have never been able to afford a trip back to your resort had we not won this one.

The entire time we were at The Reefs, my husbands symptoms were far less than on a normal day at home. I think the stress-free week helped him tremendously. I know, it helped me! We just celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary two weeks ago and for all the stress we have been through in the past few years, romance and fun was certainly something we were losing. I'm very happy to say that the week we spent there has rekindled the flame and given us the strength to continue to fight his battle together. It has given us a beautiful memory that no matter what the future holds, I will always have.

Hopefully, his health will improve over the next year and we will see you next year for our 25th Anniversary!

So, once again. Thank you for choosing me as the random winner in the "Show Your Love" contest. We made many friends and had a weeks worth of incredible memories. It was an amazing week and we appreciated every minute of it.

Our best to the entire staff at The Reefs & we hope to see you next year,

Audrey & Andy Bennett