SYLVIA LAMONT is 40 years old. Her husband, Mark Lamont, is 28. This is not the only unique feature of the couple. Sylvia, whose maiden name is Grant, and Mark are paraplegics.
Their physical challenge is not an issue, says Mark, who adds that he lets nothing come between him and his woman. "I don't watch what people say. If you do that, you would never do anything."
Sylvia told Flair that after they became good friends, she asked him if her disability made him uncomfortable. His answer was flat out "no", she recalls. On the contrary, he is the one who always reminds her not to be ashamed of who she is, she adds.
Sylvia's athletic achievements would make any husband proud. She is a star athlete with more than 15 medals from various international competitions, including the Special Olympics. She competes in the shot put, javelin and discus events.
Sylvia notes that her husband is also excellent in his vocation as a jeweller. "He makes beautiful jewellery, people always love his stuff," she boasts.
The couple met while Sylvia was living in a housing scheme for the disabled near the Mona area of St. Andrew. He frequented the neighbourhood to visit a family member. One day, while she was indulging in her regular sporting activities, he caught sight of her and, according to Sylvia, from that first meeting he began to show his interest in her.
Unfortunately for Mark, Sylvia was already in a relationship with the father of her daughter and so she ignored all his advances. These circumstances soon changed as Sylvia and her child's father soon parted ways.
A CHANCE AT LAST!
The door was now open for Mark; however, with the usual emotions that normally accompany a break-up, Sylvia was not in the mood to entertain any suitors. "After the break-up I took my sports very seriously. I didn't have time for anybody."
It's no surprise then that she 'ran him'. Apart from the break-up, he was just too young for her, she reckoned.
Mark was then noticeably absent for two years but returned on the scene a more mature man. He had his first child and was living with the child's mother. However, that union did not last long as Mark later settled in with a friend who lived next door to his future wife.
Being neighbours, Sylvia and Mark conversed frequently, eventually forming a solid friendship, that finally blossomed into a love affair.
The two got engaged a year ago, shortly before Sylvia went on her six-month athletic trip to the United States. The night before she left, he held her in his arms and planted a "nice, juicy" kiss on her lips.
Sylvia vividly recalls that night. "I felt something in my mouth and when I took it out it was a ring, and then he asked me to marry him," she recalls with a giggle.
A year later, May 31, they got married. The couple declared their love at the Christian Life Fellowship in Gordon Town, Kingston. The Rev. Rowle Tyson officiated. The reception followed at the Pollyanna Restaurant in St. Andrew.
- Kinisha O'Neill
