After suffering two strokes, Joe Korst relearned Kenny Rogers' song "All That You Could Be" and continued with his singing tradition. He sang it to his wife, Sharon Korst, to celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary.
Could not talk much after two strokes
The couple's daughter, Theresa Kostrzewa, told TODAY that his 87-year-old dad had lost much of his ability to speak after suffering a stroke twice. In five days, Joe was able to relearn the lyrics of the song so that he could serenade his wife on their wedding anniversary.
On August 10, Kostrzewa got her camera ready to film the rendition. Medical staff who took care of Joe at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina, shared the clip on Facebook.
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The couple sat at a dining table as seen in the video, and they held hands as they serenade one another. Joe told his wife to come closer and then they shared a kiss.
Learned the song days before the anniversary
In late June, Joe had his first stroke, which was followed by another one month after. Kostrzewa encouraged his dad and his speech therapist to learn the song many days before their wedding anniversary. Since their 50th anniversary, Joe had been singing the same song every year.
Kostrzewa explained that his father probably had sung the song about 150 times. She said that after the first stroke, her dad could only say "I love you," and "I'm sorry." She said that while her dad did not learn the whole song, he was able to sing the most important part.
A Very Special Anniversary Joe and Sharon celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this past week.
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After recently having two strokes, Joe, one of our WakeMed rehab patients, was unable to remember the words to their song: “All That You Could Be” by Kenny Rogers.
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Joe has been practicing this song in speech therapy so that he could surprise his wife by singing it to her on their anniversary.
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Happy Anniversary, Joe and Sharon!
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#wakemed #stroke #strokesurvivor #kennyrogers #anniversary #wakecountync #raleighnc ABC11 WTVD WRAL TV Posted by WakeMed Health & Hospitals on Monday, August 17, 2020
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She shared that the performance was awesome for everybody because it was so sweet.
The secret to a long and happy marriage
The Korsts' love story has captured the hearts of the staff at WakeMed. The couple met when Joe was 22 and Sharon was in her late teens. Kostrzewa shared that she remembered one moment when one of the staff at WakeMed asked her about her father's secret to a long and happy marriage.
The daughter explained that her dad would advise people to "love the hell" out of your spouse. Joe tells people that he is 63 years in love. Kostrzewa said that her dad unfailingly loved her mom and made sure to let everybody know and see it.
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She added that her mom has been blessed to have her husband love her throughout her life. Sharon feels everything is going to be okay because Joe lets them know that they have got everything under control through the song he sings.
Kostrzewa's mom was reticent to be on TV when a local news outlet wanted to share their video on the screen. However, her dad, Joe, felt differently about it. She explained that her dad and mom were like yin-yang.
Joe believes that it is a story that needs to be told because it is his wife's love story.
