B.C. couple facing life-threatening illnesses cherishes every day [Video]

RICHMOND, B.C. –

Rather than ‘Once upon a time,’ Hayley and Bill Atkinson’s love story begins that night he abruptly left in the middle of playing a card game with friends, and didn’t return for a long time.

“And I was like, ‘Where did you go? We thought you went to the bathroom and never came back,’” Hayley recalls. “And he said, ‘I needed some fresh air.’”

What Bill actually needed was to prepare to propose, and after he got down on bended knee, Hayley said yes.

“But he didn’t hear me answer,” Hayley laughs. “So he stood back up and said, ‘What?!’”

While that didn’t go according to plan, Hayley and Bill looked forward to the rest of their life unfolding like a fairy tale.

“He was my best friend, and we had so much fun together,” Hayley says. “[We thought] this was just going to be fun.”

But then — just …