In 2014, Stephanie Duran boarded a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
to enjoy a girls’ weekend. On the final day of her trip, she noticed a man sitting on the hotel pool’s edge, seemingly without a care in the world. After she approached him, the attraction was immediate and palpable. Jeff and Stephanie’s beautiful love story had just begun.
In an inspirational memoir, Stephanie chronicles her leap of faith into a relationship that transcended borders and endured years of distance until Jeff could move from Canada to join her in California. Yet just as their long-awaited life together began to unfold, fate struck with a cruel twist when Jeff was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Determined to make the most of the time they had, Stephanie shares how their courage, humanity, and sovereignty
extended Jeff’s prognosis beyond the original three months, and ultimately, faced the agonizing decision to navigate the landscape of Jeff’s wish to die with dignity. Through sharing their story, with Jeff’s blessing, she aims to open dialogue around the taboo-topic of dying with dignity while offering hope, awareness, and inspiration in the face of one of life’s most difficult choices.
Because I Loved You is a vulnerable and powerful reflection on love, loss, and the transformative power of facing death with compassion.
