Nikki Salgot suffered a heartbreaking loss when her husband-to-be Sgt. Collin Rose was killed just months after he proposed.
The couple from Missouri had planned to get married on October 14, 2017 but the 29-year-old sergeant from Wayne State University was shot in the line of duty.
What Nikki did a year after his tragic death is an inspiration to us all; she was able to see through her grief and achieve something positive. The results and her story below is incredibly moving.
Nikki Salgot met Collin and was immediately smitten, describing him as a kindhearted and generous man.
Sgt. Collin Rose was a five-year veteran of the Wayne State University Police Department in Detroit.
When Collin proposed, Nikki was overjoyed and couldn’t say yes fast enough!
The happy couple set their wedding date for October 14, 2017.
But then, tragedy struck.
Just months after Collin’s proposal, he was shot on duty while investigating a car theft. He passed away at the hospital on November 23, 2016.
For a very long time, Nikki was so overcome with grief that she couldn’t bring herself to open up about her fiancé’s death.
Nearly one year passed, and Nikki decided she needed to do something for herself… and for Collin.
She moved forward with her wedding photo shoot. Only now, she would be posing all by herself.
Nikki planned to present her family with the photos on what would have been her and Collin’s wedding anniversary.
Rachel Heller, a talented wedding photographer and Nikki’s former classmate, was more than happy to lead the photo shoot and chose the idyllic and natural setting of the woods to take the photos.
The brave bride wore the gorgeous gown she’d already bought for her wedding.
“She was the picture of grief and resilience and strength and vulnerability and authenticity, all at once,” Rachel told TODAY.
Collin was always so proud to be a police officer, so it was very fitting that Nikki posed with his flag, cap, and police badge.
Nikki broke her silence to express her gratitude to Rachel in helping her make the photo shoot possible. Read her moving post below.
“This is a woman who is not broken,” Rachel said. “To me, she is an inspiration.”
After her images went viral, Nikki says it’s been hard seeing her story get so much attention but says the photos serve as a poignant reminder of how much she and Collin loved each another.
Share this story if you think this woman’s bravery is an inspiration to everyone.
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