Youtube stars Hannah Aylward and Shane Burcaw document everything—from their first date to their everyday lives, the couple is used to sharing almost every part of their relationship. Though there’s nothing new about a couple with a YouTube channel, Aylward and Burcaw are unique. The couple is interabled, meaning that one of them is disabled, while the other is able-bodied.
Burcaw has spinal muscular atrophy, and as a result, he is unable to walk or use his arms. His partner, Aylward, is a tall, blonde, athletic type, and she used to be a collegiate swimmer. She has no physical limitations to speak of.
Though the pairing may seem unlikely, the couple is smitten with one another, and they don’t hold back when it comes to sharing their love with their fans on the internet. They even post details about more intimate parts of their relationship, answering questions about sex and how Burcaw’s disease effects it.
Their channel, called Squirmy and Grubs, has over 400,000 subscribers. But even before their internet fame, Burcaw had already established a media presence. In college, he started a blog called, “Laughing at My Nightmare,” which gained an impressive following. He later wrote a book about his life with the same title.
In 2013, “The Office” star Rainn Wilson produced a short documentary about Burcaw. Three years later in 2016, Aylward was a college student, and she found the documentary online. She emailed Burcaw, and the two began talking to one another all day, every day. The rest, as they say, is history.
Burcaw published a second book titled “Strangers Think My Girlfriend Is My Nurse” in 2019. In it, he described that despite what others may think, his disability made their relationship stronger.
“Because of my disability I’m forced to show vulnerability right away and our relationship is that much more intimate from the get-go,” he said.
That same year, he asked Aylward to marry him. Though Burcaw normally has no qualms being vulnerable in front of thousands on his YouTube channel, he told Inside Edition that when it was time to ask Aylward’s parents if he could marry her, he was terrified. Thankfully, her parents couldn’t have been more supportive. Aylward’s mom was so happy that she began to cry.
“It was so adorable, and she got up and gave me a big hug, and her dad was very happy as well,” Burcaw said. “So having that kind of support, it means so much to me.”
Burcaw wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise. He waited until they were at a dinner party with Burcaw’s family, celebrating her recent graduation. He waited for the perfect moment to get her alone, and in the end, Burcaw faked illness to get her alone.
“He said some nice things, and the ring was hiding behind his back, so he had me pull that out,” Aylward said. “It was very cute.”
The couple got married in a small ceremony in September 2020, and they want everyone to see them as they see themselves—normal.
Burcaw told PEOPLE, “And so we’re just trying to show people that our life is normal and silly and fun and disability is a part of it in the ignorance we face, but it doesn’t inhibit our life.”
What do you think about this adorable couple’s love story? Pass this along to the hopeless romantics in your life!
