Two Journeys
Diem grew up in Cho Gao, Vietnam, then moved to Saigon for college and the start of her medical career as a pediatric surgeon. In 2019, she moved to Houston to pursue her goal of practicing medicine in the United States. After returning to Vietnam during the COVID pandemic, she came to Cleveland in 2022 to begin her general pediatric residency.
Along the way, Diem traveled widely for conferences, work, and adventure, visiting places like Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Monaco, and Japan.
Ryan, a Cleveland native, also followed a winding path. After college, he lived in Rhode Island and Texas, then spent time visiting New York and Boston while working on startup ventures and earning his master’s degree at Harvard. He traveled across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Iceland, returning to Cleveland in 2020.
Before they met, their lives had already overlapped in quiet ways. They both spent time in Texas before the pandemic, both eventually found their way to Cleveland, and for a while lived just one mile apart, Ryan on the Gold Coast of Lakewood and Diem near W. 117th, without knowing it.
The Message
Their story truly began on Super Bowl Sunday, 2/18/2023, when they matched on Hinge.
Diem was at a Super Bowl party, and Ryan was out on a 10-mile marathon training run, listening to the game. Somewhere between the noise of the party and the quiet rhythm of the run, they started chatting, and the conversation quickly felt easy.
That holiday season, Diem gave Ryan an ornament that read:
“You are the best thing I’ve found on the internet.”
It still makes them smile.
Coffee In the Woods
Their first date, on a winter day in February, was simple and unforgettable.
At the Rocky River Reservation, Ryan arrived with a London Fog for Diem and a latte for himself.
What began as a walk turned into hours of conversation by the river, neither wanting the day to end… until, of course, all that tea and coffee finally did.
Winter So Brite
A week later, their second date brought them to Le Petit Triangle, where Ryan first learned about Diem’s love of French food. After dinner, they went to Brite Winter, where music filled the cold night air and they found warmth in each other’s company.
Among the bands that night was Welshly Arms. Their song “Sanctuary” would later becoming the soundtrack to their first dance.
Love Served Warm
By their third date, something deeper had already begun to take root.
Diem came over for dinner, and Ryan cooked: chicken parmesan with roasted broccoli and a cherry cheesecake recipe passed down in his family. Ryan may have won her heart through her stomach. That night, Diem left the first of many handwritten notes they would exchange.
Soon after, they found themselves living out “in sickness and in health” earlier than expected. Both came down with strep throat Diem caught from the hospital. Ryan made hot chicken noodle soup, and somehow even that became one of the memories they still laugh about.
Building a Life Together
Since then, Diem and Ryan have built a relationship filled with family, friends, adventure, and everyday joy.
Ryan has become part of Diem’s world of medicine, getting to know her co-residents and hospital friends outside of work. Diem, somewhat "involuntarily" (despite signed them both up for a 10k), became part of Ryan’s running world and startup world, spending time with his running friends, VFAmerica fellows, coworkers, and the many communities that have shaped his life.
Most importantly, Diem joined Ryan in caring for Ellie, their beloved Labradoodle, who brings joy daily to both their lives.
Together, they have traveled to Washington D.C., Chicago, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Miami, Tampa, many national parks, and countless places in between. Some adventures were big. Others were simple: coffee, hikes, board games, sporting events, long drives, shared meals, and quiet nights at home.
Over time, their lives became more and more intertwined, not just as two people in love, but as partners, teammates, and family.
Engaged
On June 29, 2025, Diem and Ryan became enaged.
Ryan tricked Diem, spending months planting the seeds for a "summer photo shoot" around Cleveland before their move and using a special compass he ordered over a year prior to guide her to the spot where they first met.
She said "Yes."
Their People
Their families and friends, hospital community, running friends, coworkers, and the people who had supported each of them through earlier chapters became part of the life they were building together.
Their relationship has been shaped by the people who welcomed them, encouraged them, challenged them, celebrated with them, traveled with them, laughed with them, and showed up for them again and again.
That is why celebrating with family and friends means so much.
The Next Chapter
Today, Diem and Ryan are living their next chapter together in Washington state near Portland, Oregon. They are surrounded by mountains, forests, rivers, and endless opportunities for new memories waiting to be made.
But Cleveland will always be at the center of their story.
It is Ryan’s hometown. It is the city that welcomed Diem into this chapter of her life. It is where they lived one mile apart, where they met, where they fell in love, where their first memories together were made, and now, where they will celebrate their wedding with the people they love most.
They cannot wait to begin this next adventure together.
