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Tri-County Heart Walk features ‘double’ proposal
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
More than 2,000 people watched as Alec Stipanovich knelt before the woman standing in front of him, opened a box containing a diamond engagement ring, and asked her to marry him.
She said yes.
Then, while still on one knee, Stipanovich turned to another young lady, offered her a ring, and proposed to her as well.
She, too, said yes.
The three of them are planning to live happily ever after. But it’s not as weird as it may seem.
Kristen Ivany, 23, of Canfield, had just received a Lifestyle Change Award from the Tri-County American Heart Association during its 2015 Heart Walk at Youngstown State University’s WATTS facility. Her mother, Robin Ivany, 52, was standing next to her as a co-winner of the award.
Both women were honored for their significant weight-loss efforts and changes to a more healthy lifestyle.
But before they got off the stage, Stipanovich was called forward from the crowd, and proposed to Kristen. Robin knew the proposal was coming, but Kristen was taken aback.
“I had no idea,” she said moments afterward. “I’m shaking all over. I can’t believe this!”
Stipanovich’s second proposal was to Kristen’s 4-year-old daughter, Kallie.
“I love you as much as I love your mom,” Stipanovich told Kallie, who was standing next to Kristen. “I would be proud to be your stepfather.”
Then he took a ring from a box and placed it on Kallie’s finger.
The crowd oohed and aahed, of course, and then cheered.
“He is the best kid in the world to be with my daughter,” Robin said, noting that she and Alec hatched the public-proposal plan just more than a week ago.
Even though they’ve been dating only about three months, Alec said he was confident that Kristen would say yes.
“Man, that would have ruined my day if she hadn’t,” he said.
Like many couples these days, Alec and Kristen met on Facebook, where they struck up a friendship and then began dating.
“The day I met him, I called my mom and said, ‘I’m going to marry him,’” said Kristen, who works for Boardman Medical Supply. “He’s perfect for me. And he’s so good to Kallie.”
“She’s like my other half,” said Alec, who works at Republic Services. “She knows me so well, and we have the same views on everything.”
The Heart Child for this year’s local campaign was 3-year-old Rebekah Plant, who was born with two holes in her heart that had to be surgically repaired at Akron Children’s Hospital when Rebekah was not quite 4 months old.
“She’s a perfectly normal 3-year-old today,” said her mother, Sarah Plant. Sarah and her husband, Chris, also have an 18-month-old son, Sam.
Chris Pacileo, director of Heart Walk, said the 2,500 participants in this year’s event were about 300 more than last year. The goal is to raise $277,000.
“We truly have the best support here in our tri-county area,” Pacileo said. “This area is one-of-a-kind when it comes to supporting things like this.”