This is Ivoon.
She fell in love with...
Jonathan.
Jonathan: We got so much love for one another.
Some people questioned Jonathan
on why he wanted to date Ivoon.
Ivoon: When we first started dating
he put up a picture of me next to him
like a few people, "Is that really your girlfriend?"
And they receive judgment when they're out as a couple,
due to Ivoon's height.
Jonathan: It's pretty crazy when you get the guys out
they got the phone right here and they trying to like
hide it.
Can they overcome the stares
and feel free to love in public?
I know most people usually keep like their
plates and cups and everything in the
high ones but honestly for me like
all of these are empty,
because,
there's no point even with step-stool I can't reach it.
So I just
this is way easier.
If not it would be a three hour job for me
for the fridge as well,
like I basically don't use, the...
the...
like the top. Yeah.
That's like my husband's section.
We have been together for
six years?
Ivoon: Or about to? Jonathan: It's been that long?
Ivoon: It's been that long. Yeah.
Standing it just three foot 10
Ivoon and Jonathan over one and a half foot different in height.
But that hasn't got in the way of their love for one another.
Jonathan: I think I realized
when I was in love
with her I think it was...
It started when
I used her handicap parking
and ...
Ivoon: You're not supposed to use it,
Jonathan: She got a lot to bring to my table so...
Ivoon: You're not ... To your table?
Jonathan: Yeah.
Ivoon: I fell in love with him when he took me out to eat.
And he let me get fried pickles.
And paid for the whole thing. Yeah,
basically so...
Win, win.
Jonathan: So yeah, so I get the food she gets the valet parking
Ivoon: We make it work, yeah.
Ivoon's short height has been caused by rare medical condition
she's had since birth.
Ivoon: So Fanconi Bickel syndrome,
it's a condition that affects my
liver, heart, kidney,
and bones.
I've had like five or six surgeries.
So basically I can't walk long distances.
I've got to take a break after a while,
obviously got to be really careful when I go down the stairs.
This is feedings that I get through a
G-tube that I have in my stomach.
I've been doing this for like 10 years now,
after they did the surgery
and put the G-tube in my stomach.
I started walking.
If my doctors would have just figured this out when
when I was younger then I would have started walking
way before, and throughout the day I'm able to like,
eat normal. You know,
I can go out to restaurants and everything so
that's where I get my fried pickles.
So yeah.
Due to Ivoon's condition
she struggled to find love before Jonathan.
Ivoon: I didn't really date a lot of people
before him.
I wouldn't really go out or anything.
when I was in high school, I didn't go to the dances
just because I was always so ashamed of
my legs. I was known as the wheelchair girl.
I dated one guy but
we never went out in public or nothing.
What are you doing?
Jonathan: He was extremely tall.
like six two or something like ...
Ivoon: Yeah.
Ivoon: I wasn't comfortable with myself yet.
I wasn't ready for what
what was going to happen in public.
So obviously that relationship ended.
Ivoon: Stop moving your head.
I'm going to smack you on the camera.
[Laughter]
When I met Jon,
he was always complimenting me or like,
I just felt good about him. I had a good feeling about him.
Three and a half years in,
the couple welcomed their daughter into the family.
Ivoon: Okay, you're done,
Let's go.
The Doctors have always told me
that there was no way that I would be able to get pregnant,
and so we tried for a while
we had a miscarriage at first
and that really brought our hopes down.
We just stop trying. And then three months later,
we got pregnant with her.
Ivoon: Catalina is two and a half,
Yeah, she's two and a half years
Jonathan: Two years and five months.
Ivoon: Okay, he counts every second, hour, minute.
I will say two years.
Jonathan: Bella Mia, have you ate here before?
Ivoon: No,
Jonathan: No?
Ivoon: Never.
Out as a couple
Ivoon is subjected
to unwelcome reactions from the public.
Ivoon: Oh, when we first started dating,
I think he put up a picture of me next to him
like a few people, "Is that really your girlfriend?"
Anytime we go out, there's always reactions.
We've encountered a few bad
times. He's actually gone up to people
Jonathan: It's pretty crazy when you get to guys
and they got the phone right here and they try to like hide it.
Jonathan: People look at other people like judging
right away so,
I just feel like,
you know, they should just look in the mirror sometimes.
At first, I think we're a little upset like,
"Like what the ****?"
but after a while
we laugh at it now.
But despite the judgment they receive as a couple,
Jonathan's love has given Ivoon
a new-found confidence.
Ivoon: I think it's really nice
that you know, I'm able to do this,
because before I wouldn't even attempt to
go out of my house at all.
I'm so glad that I have my family now.
He gives me so much confidence.
I learned to love myself now.