The Virginia natives both live and work together, filming videos for their popular YouTube channel, Roll With Cole & Charisma.
They were both nervous for two completely different reasons. Charisma Jamison had butterflies about singing publicly.
Cole Sydnor was about to ask her a life-changing question.
In their latest video, Sydnor pops the question to Jamison during an event where she thinks they are there to sing. As the song ends, Sydnor’s mother gets down on bended knee and presents her son with the ring box. Jamison is clearly shocked, and Sydnor places the ring on her finger.
The Virginia natives both live and work together, filming videos for their popular YouTube channel, Roll With Cole & Charisma.
Sydnor said that made it hard for him to plan the surprise.
“I am relieved that it's all in the open now. No more secrets. No more trying to hide anything,” Sydnor told InsideEdition.com.
“Because, man, it was months that I have been planning this and it was hard because we're dating, and our business is also together, so we constantly are together and we need to know each other's schedules, so I'm trying to lie,” Sydnor told InsideEdtion.com.
“It was hard. I hate lying in general,” Sydnor added.
“He did a great job,” Jamison told InsideEdition.com.
Their love story began out of tragedy.
In 2011, when Sydnor was 15, he jumped into the James River. The impact shattered his vertebrae, leaving him quadriplegic.
A silver lining would come some years later, while Sydnor was working out at Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation. He said he spotted Jamison, who was working there.
“My therapists were like, ‘That's Charisma, she's single. I think she's looking for someone too.’ So I think they kind of worked it out so that she would come over and help me with a couple things," Sydnor recalled.
After a gala they both attended, Sydnor made his move — where else? On social media.
“She followed me on Instagram and I followed her back. I liked some pictures, she liked some of mine and then I slid in the DMs. I have no shame about the DM slide either,” Sydnor said.
The pair share so much of their lives on social media, they said they encounter social media trolls because they are an interabled and interracial couple.
“I think the interabled challenges are more present on a daily basis with our activities and stuff. The interracial challenges interestingly have come more from our social media,” Sydnor said.
“And you know, the people that are in our lives are accepting people because we don't want anybody in our lives who are not. But when you open up your lives to the public, generally you find that there are people that are not accepting. And unfortunately they want to express their opinions, so they will say things that are very hurtful, very demeaning. And it's really disgraceful. We try to tune it out.”
Jamison said the adversity has only made their relationship stronger.
"I think it has brought us closer together as a couple because those challenges, physical challenges as well as emotional challenges, we can find each other in each other,” Jamison said. “And when I'm down, he picks me up. When he's down, I pick him up. You know, we work together, we're a great team."
Now this team is looking ahead to the wedding planning process.
“That's on her, I did my part, I’m done,” Sydnor joked.
They want a winter wedding, possibly in 2021, after Jamison graduates from college. It would make theirs the love story with an unlikely beginning and a fairy tale ending.
“We always want to tell people that, you know, love is out there for everybody, no matter what your circumstances are. If you have a positive outlook, if you are enthusiastic about life, optimistic, confident, you can find love. Doesn't matter what your deal is,” Sydnor said.
“I second that,” said Jamison.
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