At a party with music, drinks and loud Harvard students
in a waiting line for the washroom, one guy turned to a girl and said the most "romantic"
pick up line ever:
"I`m getting kicked out of the university in three days, so we need to go on a date
quickly."
It was Mark Zuckerberg meeting a young sophomore from Boston — Priscilla Chan.
In those days Mark was just a brainy guy who had trouble with university and spent all
his hours in dormitory coding some prank website called the Facesmash.
In fact, hardly any girls in Harvard liked him since he made a mistake that accidentally
give away students’ photos on a website he built.
Even so, Chan fell hopelessly in love with him from the very beginning.
"I thought he was just this really interesting guy, who wasn't that studious," she explained.
On their first date, Mark told Priscilla that he'd rather go on a date with her than finish
his take-home midterm.
And he did.
After some time, he dropped out to run his company that we all know as Facebook.
Later he recalled that the best memory that he has from Harvard is actually meeting Priscilla.
She was also one of the first people to join Facebook and she supported him in any way
she could.
Their love was so strong that when Mark moved to California, Priscilla also moved there
and became a medical student at the local university.
They thought that being closer would make things easier for their relationship.
But the more successful Facebook became, the less time Mark had for his loved one.
And so their first crisis happened.
Priscilla could not stand talking to Mark`s answerphone anymore and so she came up with
a strict, yet helpful solution:
The girl laid out a strict set of rules for Mark : A minimum of 100 minutes of alone time
(definitely not at Facebook) and one date night every week to top off that list.
It was weird and did not seem like a fairy tale romance, but it worked.
Despite his crazy dedication to his work, Mark was a man in love, so he did everything
to make that plan work.
And he kept his promise.
Soon after, Priscilla moved in with him.
Like many of us who just cannot help but use Facebook to make our major announcements,
Mark also took the help of his creation to declare the news to all.
“Priscilla Chan is moving in this weekend."
But then a new challenge arose.
Facebook started to be a real phenomenon and huge corporations wanted to buy it.
Mark was confused.
It was not a simple discussion.
Yahoo offered two billion dollars to acquire Facebook.
You cannot simply say no to that amount of money, and of course Mark could not know how
far Facebook would go if he kept it as his own business.
Chan recalled, "I remember we always have dialogue about Yahoo’s deal, but we finally
decided to focus on our goals and values.”
It was Priscilla who believed in Mark more than anyone and together they had the courage
to say "no".
For all we know, Zuckerberg turned down even more buyout offers, and now Facebook is the
most popular social network worldwide.
On Priscilla`s graduation day from medical school, the couple announced that they were
having a party.
Over 100 guests were sipping on their drinks, celebrating Priscilla`s graduation, not expecting
anything more.
And out of the blue, Mark picks up a microphone and announces that it is actually their wedding
day!
Mark presented a simple ruby wedding ring to his love, which he had personally designed
for her.
It was a very romantic ceremony in the cosy backyard of their home.
Just like any typical guy in love, Mark used Facebook to confess his love and feelings
for Priscilla, and so, in 2014 he updated his status saying,
"I met an amazing girl on this day exactly 11 years ago.
Priscilla, thank you for keeping me grounded, and for helping me keep my sense of wonder
about the world as we grow together."
As a young family, they dreamed to have a baby.
But nobody knew it would create so much pressure and grief in their lives.
Priscilla got pregnant...but after a couple of months she tragically lost her baby...
And then it happenned once again....and again after that.
She was crushed.
Priscilla tried to give all she could to her work as a pediatrician to somehow forget about
the pain.
But nothing seemed to work.
Mark also did not know what else to do...
"You feel so hopeful when you learn you're going to have a child.
You start imagining who they'll become and dreaming of hopes for their future.
You start making plans, and then they're gone.
It's a lonely experience."
Mark was desperately searching for help and eventually found something that made their
life brighter.
It was none other than Beast.
Yes, this crazy pup who has his own Facebook page.
Beast brought the family joy and relaxation and helped them to overcome the loss.
Eventually, the couple made the brave desicion to share their struggling with getting pregnant
on social media.
“Sharing our experience with pregnancy was incredibly important because we realized how
challenging and difficult that was and there are really dark moments where you think you’re
alone,” she said.
It helped them realized they weren’t alone in this struggle and that there were other
people traveling along the same road.
Mark also spoke about the three miscarriages that Priscilla had over the last few years.
He wrote:
Most people don't discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you
or reflect upon you -- as if you're defective or did something to cause this.
So you struggle on your own.
In today's open and connected world, discussing these issues doesn't distance us; it brings
us together.
It creates understanding and tolerance, and it gives us hope."
Thankfullly, with persistence, the couple could finally share their happy news:
"Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we're expecting a baby girl!...
Cilla and our child are both healthy, I'm extremely excited to meet her and our dog
Beast has no idea what's coming."
"Mark was very thrilled and he even shared that his future kid has already inherited
some qualities from her father: "
""In our ultrasound, she (the baby girl) even gave me a thumbs up ""like"" with her hand,
so I'm already convinced she takes after me."" When Max was born, the couple wrote the strongest
and most loving words for her on Facebook.
It was a message for their little girl, for when she`d become an adult.
Like all parents, they want their daughter to grow up in a world better than ours today.
"We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because
we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation."
And so they started the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to connect people across the world to advance
human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation.
The couple gave up 99% of their Facebook shares, about $45 billion during their lives, to advance
this mission.
That's possibly one of the greatest things they could ever have done for the future of
their loved one.
The parents are enjoing every little moment with Max.
Priscilla commented that “As a pediatrician, I have to say, that is just normal development,
there is nothing special about it.
But as a parent, everything is the most — it’s a miracle.”
And last year the family was joined by another miracle - a girl that they named after the
month in which she was born - August.
"They wrote: August, we love you so much and we're so excited to go on this adventure with
you.
We wish you a life of joy, love and the same hope you give us.
Love, Mom and Dad"
Whatever the media might say about Mark`s very dry and critical character, Pricilla
is the one who always saw the genius from a different perspective.
"I think it's a shame when people don't see the funny, thoughtful Mark that I know," she
said.
"He is incredibly sensitive and really cares about what other people need and want and
really wants to be able to make someone else's day.
And that's the Mark that I see."
Priscilla always stood by him.
They fell in love when Zuckerberg was nothing but a college student, and they are still
in love when he has become a multi-billionaire.
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