Georgia couple finds love after falling from waterfall, sustaining critical injuries on first date
A Georgia couple nearly lost their lives on their first date after they slipped off a waterfall while out walking.
Jordan Bennett and Zania Robinson were hiking DeSoto Falls in Georgia when they got caught in a storm in August.
The couple fell from the top of the waterfall, approximately 120 feet, and were forced to walk 30 minutes while injured, Robinson with extensive facial injuries and Bennett with two fractured shoulders.
The couple was able to recuperate side by side and have since developed a strong relationship and say they are together forever.
Surprisingly, the fall may have saved Bennett’s life as well, as doctors discovered stomach cancer while he was recovering, for which he is now receiving treatment.
Jordan Bennett and Zania Robinson were hiking DeSoto Falls in Georgia when they got caught in a storm in August and fell off a waterfall.
The couple was able to recuperate side by side and have since developed a strong relationship and say they are together forever.
According to Bennet and Robinson, the terrifying first date has now set them on the path to lasting love.
The couple spoke with WXIA and described the life-changing event.
“We took pictures, we had our first kiss up there. It was a moment,’ Robinson said.
However, after they kissed, things got complicated when the storm came and they started to slip.
‘Without hesitation, it was like, go find her. Instinct, said Bennett.
The couple fell and were seriously injured. Far from civilization, they were forced to walk 30 minutes back to get help.
‘I kept telling him, he repeats after me. “You’re brave, you’re strong, you’ve got this,” Bennett said, recalling the fateful day.
Eventually, they were able to make it to the emergency room and were rushed for their injuries.
Robinson’s extensive facial injuries caused her to worry that Bennett was no longer interested in her.
‘I felt ugly. I no longer liked how she saw me. I didn’t think he would like her,’ Robinson said.
However, that couldn’t have been further from what happened, as he immediately asked her to be his girlfriend when they could see each other again.
‘She said, ‘how do I look?’ I said, “You look beautiful.” Just seeing her that way, she created a bond that will never be broken,” Jordan said.
Robinson was in critical condition when they arrived at the hospital and had extensive injuries to his face.
Bennett broke both shoulders in the big fall from the waterfall.
Robinson’s facial injuries caused her to worry that Bennett would no longer be interested in her, but he asked her to be his girlfriend when they could see each other again.
The couple is now forever
But as Robinson got better from his injuries, Bennett kept getting worse.
The man’s mother, Lori Chafin, told WXIA that her son was not seeing any progress.
“He had lost a lot of weight, it was falling off. She didn’t have much of an appetite,” Chafin said.
Doctors thought Bennett might have ruptured his esophagus in the fall, but the news was much worse.
“The call came in: he was diagnosed with stage 3 advanced stomach cancer,” Bennett said.
Despite the diagnosis, the Georgia man said he believes it was the fall itself that was responsible for helping him get the cancer.
His family and Robinson are now by his side during the battle.
‘It’s your baby, of course it’s hard. I can’t help you. I can be there and help with everything else, but I can’t take it away from him. And that’s difficult,’ Chafin said.
“I remember Jordan saying, ‘You’re strong, you’re brave and you’ve got this.'” And that really stuck with me,” Robinson said, telling the local outlet that they now use the words as his own personal mantra.
Robinson and Bennett are now committed to fighting the new challenge together, a stomach cancer diagnosis for Bennett.
Despite the cancer diagnosis, Bennett said he believes it was the fall itself that was responsible for helping him get the cancer.
Bennett’s mother, Lori Chafin, started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for hospital bills and other expenses related to the cancer diagnosis and fall.
‘She says it all the time, that I’m strong, and I understood this. This is your fight,’ she said.
Bennett will have surgery to remove his stomach in March, and doctors will reattach his esophagus to his small intestine.
He will be on a feeding tube for the next six to eight months, but he is ready to fight with Robinson by his side.
GoFundMe Pages for bennett and robinson respectively have been started.