What started as a Covid-19 vaccine appointment ended in a marriage proposal for two health workers in South Dakota.
Registered nurse Eric Vander Lee, 26, helped administer Covid-19 vaccines at a state hospital while his five-year-old boyfriend, Robbie Vargas-Cortes, 31, worked as a paramedic.
When Vargas-Cortes arrived at Lee’s hospital on December 23 for his scheduled vaccination, he had a surprise up his sleeve – literally. When Vargas-Cortes rolled up his shirt so Lee could give him the vaccine, Lee was shocked when he found an engagement ring glued to his boyfriend’s arm.
“It’s been a crazy year, and you know it’s been a fun ride to have you in my life,” Vargas-Cortes told Vander Lee in a video of the proposal that has gone viral since then.
“I saw tape and did not understand what was going on for about 30 seconds, until it finally hit me,” Lee told NBC News. “It was just probably the happiest moment of my life.”
Lee said he later found out that Vargas-Cortes had been holding the ring for three years, waiting for the perfect moment to make the big question appear.
Shortly after the surprise proposal, Lee shared a picture of his new engagement ring on Instagram and wrote: “As we introduce Covid to history, I’m so excited for the future.”
Lee, who has experience as a nurse in an intensive care unit, began administering Covid-19 vaccines at the Sanford Canton-Inwood Medical Center in southeastern Dakota, near the Iowa border, last month. Amid the death and suffering he saw due to the pandemic, he said it was rewarding to help give patients a life-saving vaccine.
“Giving the shot is like a sigh of relief,” he said, adding that it was like “giving someone a shield – equipping them with something they could possibly save.”
By helping others to be vaccinated, Lee also helped deal with the loss of his grandfather Norman Vander Lee, who died in November 86 at the age of 86, after contracting Covid-19.
Lee said the reaction to Vargas-Cortes’ viral proposal elicited positive reactions, but he noted that there were also some homophobic trolls.
“We live in South Dakota, and it’s not a typically progressive state,” he laments.
While the proposal video continues to attract attention, Lee said he hopes it has a positive impact on the LGBTQ community in South Dakota.
“That’s my main focus,” Lee said. ‘I just want people to know that when I feel hopeless, Robbie and I were there. Both of us felt hopeless about finding someone and finding someone to truly love. So I just want people to know that things can get better. ”
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