By Staff
Swine flu outbreak delays betrothed couple’s post-wedding vacation
By PAUL DUNN
Managing Editor
Almost-newlyweds Dodi Darrow and Andy Konigsmark are $6,000 poorer, thanks to the swine flu.
Darrow, 34, who grew up in Washington, and Konigsmark, 31, will be married Saturday in Washington.
That’s the joyous part.
The couple — he is a church pastor and she is currently looking for work — figured their honeymoon would be the cherry atop the sundae. They were looking forward to exploring what’s called the “Riviera Maya,” south of Cancun in Mexico, where the swine flu is believed to have originated.
Konigsmark evidently had been keeping the honeymoon location and details a secret, waiting to surprise his beloved at an appropriate moment.
He surprised her, all right.
Darrow, of course, feared the worst.
The couple, who met at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and now live in Telluride, Colo., decided to make the best of the situation and perhaps take a side trip to the beach while they’re in Washington.
And though they’ve mostly gotten past their disappointment, the money part of the deal still sticks in both their craws.
There’s a simple reason: “We’re broke,” said Konigsmark, who added he and Darrow earn $20,000 between them in their Colorado home. “I’d say this is a big hardship for us losing the money.”
What especially galls the couple is that because U.S. flights are still traveling to Mexico, the airline and resort won’t refund their money — this, they say, despite strong suggestions by the U.S. government to avoid travel to the infected country.
According to the Associated Press, the disease in Mexico is now confirmed or suspected in 159 deaths and nearly 2,500 illnesses.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Darrow said Konigsmark initially suggested taking a chance and going on the honeymoon anyway. Family members on both sides of the aisle soon quashed that idea, though.
Darrow had her own reasons for agreeing to cancel: She contracted the flu in March while in Telluride and spent time in the hospital. The thought of experiencing that again didn’t sit well with her.
But Mexico’s still in their plans, Darrow said. Sometime in spring 2010, the couple could be enjoying the same resort they’d hoped to visit next week.
Cutline for corresponding photo: Former Washington resident Dodi Darrow and Andy Konigsmark will marry on Saturday, but they postponed their honeymoon to Mexico because of swine-flu fears. (WDN Photo/Paul Dunn)