She couldn’t stop thinking about the guy she met at the Athens Olympics. Then a message from him changed her life

Francesca Street, CNN

(CNN) — Omaira Gill grew up counting down nan days to each Olympic Games.

“It was a large woody successful our house,” Omaira tells CNN Travel today. “I retrieve watching pinch my parents and I utilized to ever think, ‘I’m going to spell 1 day. I’d emotion to spell to nan Olympics.’”

Omaira wasn’t particularly sporty, truthful she ruled retired nan imaginable of competing beautiful early on. But she still harbored Olympic dreams – moreover conscionable spectating would do.

In 2004, nan twelvemonth Omaira turned 22, nan Olympics were group to return to their birthplace of Athens, Greece.

Omaira grew up adjacent Birmingham, successful nan United Kingdom. Athens was a small little than 4 hours distant by airplane.

“I thought, ‘Okay, Athens, that’s nan closest it’s ever travel to maine successful my lifetime,’” recalls Omaira. “I didn’t cognize past that yet nan Olympics would travel to London arsenic well. So I thought, ‘Let maine spot if I tin spell to nan Athens Olympics. I’ll spot if there’s tickets for gymnastics aliases thing for illustration that. Maybe I could spell to nan opening ceremony…’”

Several months earlier nan commencement of nan games, Omaira was finishing up her publicity grade and staying astatine her parents’ location for nan holidays. Noodling astir connected nan family computer, Omaira spent hours researching nan logistics of attending nan games.

Eventually, she recovered herself connected nan charismatic Athens 2004 website.

“In nan area of nan tract location was this small banner saying, ‘Volunteers,’” recalls Omaira. “And I thought, ‘Well, that’s moreover better. Because that puts you wrong nan Olympics. And you get nan afloat acquisition of nan Olympic Games. That would beryllium amazing.’”

Omaira signed up correct away, registering liking successful nan media colony – nan evident prime for a publicity student.

“And past a mates of months passed. Uni finished. This, that and nan different happened…And I still heard thing backmost from my application.”

Summer rolled around. The opening ceremonial was imminent. There was still thing successful Omaira’s inbox from nan Athens unpaid team. She was starting to deliberation her Olympic dream wasn’t meant to be.

“And past retired of nan bluish 1 morning, I sewage a telephone telephone saying, ‘Are you still willing successful volunteering astatine nan Olympics?’”

The speaker hardly vanished their condemnation earlier Omaira confirmed that yes, she was decidedly still interested.

“Would you mind if it’s nan shooting halfway and not nan media village, for illustration you requested?” asked nan sound connected nan different end.

Omaira didn’t moreover hesitate.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I’d conscionable emotion to beryllium there.”

The chartless speaker told Omaira nan occupation was hers – arsenic agelong arsenic she could make nan basal recreation arrangements, and find location to enactment for nan long of nan Games.

“I deliberation he besides gave maine a really basal unsmooth outline of wherever I would request to beryllium for first training, and wherever to prime up my uniform,” says Omaira. “Then I hung up and started screaming. My dada was like, ‘What’s happened? What’s nan matter pinch you?’”

As luck would person it, Omaira had a friend from assemblage who lived successful Athens, who offered her a room for nan long of nan Games. Within days, Omaira was connected a formation to Greece.

An unexpected opportunity

From nan infinitesimal Omaira landed successful Athens, everything was a whirlwind. She was invited to watch nan last dress rehearsal of nan opening ceremony. Omaira teared up arsenic she watched nan opening countdown, successful giddy disbelief that she’d yet made it to nan Games.

And past Omaira was disconnected to activity astatine nan shooting center, wherever nan Games’ shooting events were held.

“My very first time astatine activity – well, first time of training, let’s opportunity – I was late,” she recalls. “The shooting halfway was measurement retired successful nan sticks, astir nan area wherever nan airdrome is. I took nan train, and later worked retired that nan autobus was really a batch faster.”

Omaira, on pinch a fewer different latecomers, yet arrived that first time embarrassed and flustered. Omaira tried to apologize, but her words were batted distant by nan feline heading up nan shooting center.

“These things happen,” he said.

Instead of berating them for tardiness, nan shooting halfway head suggested nan volunteers reconvene that evening successful nan metropolis center, for a metropolis circuit and a fewer drinks.

“So past we move up astatine Syntagma Square (Athens’ main nationalist square) that evening. And we were each benignant of much fresh, much relaxed,”  recalls Omaira.

The shooting halfway head arrived last. He smiled and waved arsenic he approached nan remainder of nan group.

“And that’s what I noticed,” recalls Omaira. “I was like, ‘Oh, he’s rather good-looking. He’s rather cute.’”

She besides learned his name: Dimitris Athanasiou. Early thirties. Born and raised successful Athens. Warm, friendly, welcoming. Omaira liked him correct away.

“But I didn’t make thing of it,” says Omaira. “Because I thought, ‘Okay, you’re young, free and single. It’s great. It’s summertime. Just bask your clip here.’”

Later that evening, Omaira recovered herself seated astatine 1 extremity of a agelong array filled pinch excited Olympics volunteers. Dimitris was astatine nan different end.

“He benignant of waved, saying, ‘Come beryllium complete here,’” recalls Omaira. “And I would person ne'er done that normally, but I sewage up and sat adjacent to him.”

Right away, Omaira recovered Dimitris easy and nosy company.

“I conscionable retrieve thinking, ‘Wow, he’s really absorbing to talk to,’” she says. “I was rather a sheltered personification increasing up. I was raised Muslim, my family is modern, but they’re still rather blimpish astir things for illustration making love and worldly for illustration that. So I didn’t really talk truthful overmuch to guys. But I recovered Dimitris really absorbing to person conversations with.”

Over nan people of nan Athens Olympics, Omaira worked successful spectator services astatine nan shooting center, checking tickets, pointing Olympic visitors toward nan bathrooms. She loved soaking up their excitement and enjoyed nan penetration into nan Olympics’ down nan scenes. But she besides spent a batch of clip reasoning astir Dimitris.

“I would unrecorded for those 2 minutes erstwhile he would travel and alteration my shift,” she recalls. “I’d beryllium like, ‘What clip is it? What clip is it? Have 3 hours passed yet? When is he coming?’” And past I’d spot him stepping towards maine and I’d beryllium like, ‘Act normal, effort and enactment normal.’”

Omaira and Dimitris ever exchanged a fewer friends words. But nan conversations were brief. Dimitris was engaged heading up nan volunteers, and Omaira was engaged working.

“We spent nary clip together, really,” Omaira says. “I don’t cognize why we clicked.”

Meeting Dimitris

As Omaira sewage to cognize Dimitris, she learned he didn’t turn up pinch nan aforesaid reverence for nan Olympics arsenic she had. He told her he saw nan Games much arsenic a “good occupation opportunity” than thing else.

But Dimitris was happy to spot Athens abuzz pinch activity. And he enjoyed sharing his metropolis pinch nan shooting halfway volunteers – he took nan group retired astir nights, guiding them astir his favourite Athenian spots.

“It was breathtaking knowing that nan games were successful Athens,” Dimitris tells CNN Travel today. “The nationalist was a small divided astir nan costs of hosting nan Games, and arsenic we know, they yet were a large facet successful really overmuch indebtedness nan state sewage into. But astatine nan clip they kicked off, group were excited. It felt for illustration a chance to coming modern Greece to nan world.”

Dimitris’ charismatic occupation title was Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre venue manager. Early on, he realized shooting hadn’t attracted nan aforesaid numbers of volunteers arsenic immoderate of nan different Olympic sports. In a quest to summation headcount, Dimitris ended up going done nan different centers’ applications. He discovered Omaira’s exertion correct astatine nan extremity of this process. It was Dimitris who’d called her that time earlier successful summertime 2004, to inquire if she was still willing successful volunteering. Omaira was nan past personification he recruited.

Once he’d gathered his shooting halfway group together, Dimtiris was wished “to make judge they had fun.” Sure, they needed to activity difficult – but this was besides a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Dimitris encouraged nan volunteers to make nan astir of it.

That’s why he was lenient erstwhile Omaira and immoderate of nan others were precocious that first time – and why he suggested going retired later that evening.

He enjoyed getting to cognize each nan volunteers – who hailed from crossed nan world and ranged successful age. Everyone seemed nosy and friendly. But Omaira stood out.

“I do retrieve stepping up to nan fountain successful Syntagma Square, wherever they were each waiting that first nighttime and reasoning she was cute,” Dimitris recalls.

Dimitris liked speaking pinch Omaira that first evening. And he enjoyed their little workday interactions, and looked guardant to their friends chats connected nights out. But while Omaira was cultivating a beautiful heady crush, Dimitris didn’t really person clip to prosecute pinch his imaginable feelings.

“I thought she was pretty,” he says. “But I was truthful engaged I didn’t really person clip to salary overmuch attention.”

Working nan Olympics was “busy and exciting,” Dimitris recalls, dissimilar thing he’d done before. And arsenic good arsenic moving constantly, Dimitris was besides hosting respective of nan volunteers astatine his apartment. Plus, nan shooting halfway pack were regularly going retired until nan early hours of nan morning.

On nan last night, nan group went retired together for nan past time. As they weaved successful and retired of bars, stepping done nan cobbled Athens streets, Omaira and Dimitris ended up broadside by side.

They were chatting, flirting. Omaira talked astir really overmuch she liked Greece, Dimitris quizzed her connected whether she enjoyed camping, and asked astir her thoughts connected dogs.

“Okay,” he concluded. “Will you wed maine then?”

“Yeah, okay,” said Omaira, laughing.

She’d bought a “tacky, souvenir ring” during her clip successful Athens. Now, Omaira pulled it disconnected her digit and handed it to Dimitris.

“If you’re going to propose to me, you person to do it properly, pinch nan ring,” she said.

“Okay, will you wed me, pinch this ring?” he said, laughing and holding retired nan ring.

“Sure,” said Omaira. And Dimitris slipped nan ringing onto her wedding finger.

It was conscionable a light-hearted conversation. But to Omaira, nan words felt charged.

“That evening, arsenic we were parting ways, I kept thinking, ‘I should opportunity thing to him. I really for illustration this guy. I should opportunity thing because I’m leaving nan adjacent time and I person virtually thing to suffer correct now. If he says no, I’m ne'er going to spot him again…’” she recalls.

But Omaira couldn’t bring herself to speak her feelings aloud.

“So I didn’t opportunity anything. And I returned backmost to nan UK.”

As for Dimitris, he was moving consecutive from moving nan Olympic Games to moving nan Paralympic Games. He didn’t really person clip to afloat registry really he felt astir Omaira leaving.

But arsenic they said their goodbyes, Dimitris recovered himself reasoning astir nan erstwhile night’s matrimony conversation.

“I retrieve looking astatine her and reasoning ‘I could really wed her,’” he says. “I’d ne'er felt that before.”

Staying successful touch

When Omaira landed backmost successful nan UK, her mother picked her up astatine nan airport. Omaira sewage into nan car rider spot and her mother looked astatine her, narrowing her eyes.

“You’ve met someone,” she said.

“No, don’t beryllium ridiculous,” said Omaira.

Her mother conscionable raised her eyebrows successful response.

“She clocked connected consecutive away,” says Omaira today. “She knew.”

A mates days later, Omaira caved, and confided successful her mother astir Dimitris.

“You’re right,” she said. “I did meet someone. I want to spell backmost to Athens, I person to find retired really he feels astir me.”

Omaira’s mother was sympathetic, but practical.

“You can’t do that,” she said. “You don’t cognize this person.”

So alternatively of jumping connected different flight, Omaira resorted to keeping successful touch pinch Dimitiris complete MSN Messenger. Social media was successful its infancy backmost successful 2004, but instant messaging had taken off. It was an easy measurement of communicating pinch group crossed nan world.

Still, Omaira besides went aged schoolhouse – she handwrote Dimitris a missive from nan UK, enclosing a photograph of nan 2 of them – some grinning into nan camera lens, arms astir each other. The image was taken nan nighttime they met, connected nan first evening successful Athens.

A fewer friends commented that Omaira and Dimitris looked for illustration a mates successful nan picture. One of nan different Olympics volunteers scrutinized nan picture, and past asked Omaira if thing happened betwixt her and Dimitris.

Nothing happened, replied Omaira, truthfully. Because thing really had happened. It was each what ifs, should haves, could haves.

Then 1 evening, Omaira was chatting pinch Dimitris connected instant messenger. They some sat astatine desktop computers, typing messages backmost and forth.

“How are you doing?” asked Omaira.

“I’m a spot sad today,” wrote Dimitris.

“What’s up?” asked Omaira.

Dimitris’ reply made Omaira pause, her bosom beating fast:

“I’m missing someone.”

“Who are you missing?” Omaira wrote back.

“You,” said Dimitris.

After that, their messages became much frequent. Omaira and Dimitris started chatting connected nan phone. They talked astir their feelings for each other, and wondered aloud if they could make it work.

International visits

After a fewer months of regular instant messaging and telephone calls, Dimitris came to sojourn Omaira successful nan UK for a fewer days successful October 2004.

By then, Omaira had near her parents’ location and moved southbound to London to prosecute a publicity masters degree.

In nan lead up to his visit, Omaira practiced her favourite recipes, pinch nan thought she’d impressment Dimitris pinch her cooking skills.

“But past conscionable earlier he arrived, I came down pinch this horrible acold – truthful he ended up cooking for maine – and he cooks really well,” says Omaira. “So eating this nutrient I was like, ‘Okay, now what? I played my ace and his cooking is amended than mine. So that’s not going to work.’”

But Omaira didn’t request to interest astir impressing Dimitris pinch elaborate meals. It was clear he liked her. They spent a happy fewer days successful each others’ company, and Dimitris went backmost to Greece hoping to spot Omaira again soon.

“I didn’t cognize what domiciled I would play successful her life but I hoped it would beryllium a bully one,” he says.

Then, a period aliases truthful later, Omaira flew to Athens to sojourn Dimitris. Even though nan London sojourn had gone well, she was still nervous. Her friends and family were a small skeptical astir nan relationship’s longevity.

“I retrieve my housemates were like, ‘Oh my god,’” says Omaira. “And I collapsed retired successful spots, I was truthful anxious astir it.”

But connected nan level complete to Athens, Omaira told herself: “Even if it turns retired to beryllium a full disaster, spell retired successful a blaze of glory, person this escapade – you support saying thing absorbing happens successful your life. So spell for it.”

And arsenic soon arsenic Omaira reunited pinch Dimitris, nan nerves vanished. The easiness and comfortableness she’d felt during his London sojourn returned.

“He was very benignant and reassuring and I conscionable felt that aforesaid consciousness of ‘This is really acquainted and very comfortable,’” she recalls.

Dimitris was excited to big Omaira successful Greece.

“By past we’d built a beardown affectional relationship talking each time connected nan phone, truthful I felt adjacent to her,” he says.

From there, Omaira and Dimitris committed to a agelong region relationship, walking backmost and distant betwixt nan UK and Greece to sojourn 1 another. In between, they said connected nan phone, sent emails and instant messages – and Omaira wrote Dimitris handwritten letters, which she sprayed pinch her perfume.

Dimitris looked guardant to her mail.

“Omaira has a beardown imaginative streak, she pours herself into immoderate task and nan letters were for illustration that too,” he says. “She took a batch of attraction successful each of nan process.”

While missive penning wasn’t Dimitris’ thing, he did message Omaira a transcript of his favourite book, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

“When I publication that book it struck maine that sometimes nan point you searched nan world complete for was ever correct successful beforehand of you,” says Dimitris.

Sharing nan caller pinch Omaira felt important.

Omaira and Dimitris besides sewage to cognize 1 another’s loved ones connected their respective trips to nan UK and Athens.

“I began to present her to my closest friends, and they each retrieve this because I would show them ‘There’s personification I want you to meet. It’s serious, show maine what you think’ arsenic they’re awesome judges of character,” recalls Dimitris. “They each adored her consecutive away.”

In betwixt trips they missed 1 another, but some Dimitris and Omaira felt it was important for them not to unreserved their romance. Dimitris was particularly conscious of this, fixed he was a small older than Omaira.

“I missed her, but I besides knew that I would beryllium taking thing distant from her if I moved things excessively fast,” he says. “Omaira has said erstwhile she met maine she felt for illustration she was astatine a crossroads trying to fig retired wherever to spell next. I wanted her to fig that retired connected her ain pinch her ain clip and space, her ain job, societal circle etc. I didn’t want to push those decisions for her.”

Next chapter

Cut to 2006. Omaira vanished her publicity postgraduate studies and started moving successful a slope – not her dream job, but a occupation that paid nan bills. She was moving into nan adjacent shape of her life, and truthful she started looking into nan logistics of moving to Greece to beryllium pinch Dimitris. He was excited to invited her to Athens.

“Six months earlier I really moved, I started Greek lessons successful London, conscionable truthful I’d person a connection guidelines erstwhile I moved,” Omaira recalls. “My slope fto maine support my occupation remotely, truthful I was 1 of nan distant moving pioneers.”

From there, Omaira and Dimitris settled into life successful Athens together, making regular trips backmost to nan UK to spot Omaira’s friends and family.

It was connected 1 of these UK visits that Dimitris proposed. Omaira jokes that it wasn’t nan astir romanticist infinitesimal – they were barbecuing successful her parents’ plot and she had “smoke successful my hair, grease each complete me.” But she was delighted to return this adjacent step.

Omaira and Dimitris sewage joined successful Athens connected nan hottest time of 2009.

“We did nan ceremonial successful nan greeting astatine nan mayor’s agency pinch tons of friends and family. And past successful nan evening, we did a formation statement pinch our nearest and dearest friends – truthful little than 50 people. The formation statement was really nice, ace casual,” says Omaira.

Omaira designed her wedding dress herself. Her begetter is from Pakistan, and her mother is from India, and she wanted to deterioration thing that nodded to accepted dress, wasn’t excessively dense successful nan heat, and felt existent to her.

“She looked truthful beautiful,” says Dimitris. “Neither of america felt tense connected our wedding day. It felt for illustration a caller section successful what we had already started together.”

Omaira and Dimitris welcomed their first child, Hermes, successful 2011. They were complete nan moon, but parenthood wasn’t without its challenges. At conscionable complete a twelvemonth old, Hermes was diagnosed pinch Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a musculus degenerative disease. People pinch Duchenne usually don’t unrecorded past their 30s.

“We were successful shock,” says Omaira.

But she and Dimitris were wished their boy would bask a full, fulfilling life – and Hermes’ test lit a occurrence successful them both.

“I’d studied journalism, but I ended up moving successful financial marketing,” says Omaira. “I decided, ‘Okay, I’m going to activity connected publicity really aggressively now. Because I person to beryllium to my boy that if you really want something, you tin get it, you conscionable person to activity hard. I can’t conscionable show him, I person to beryllium it to him – beryllium nan surviving example.”

Omaira near her fulltime occupation and started moving arsenic a freelance journalist, penning astir politics, civilization and her individual experiences.

“I’m very proud of her,” says Dimitiris, who has since go a Duchenne diligent advocate.

As Omaira and Dimitiris came to position pinch their son’s diagnosis, they only felt much coagulated successful their certainty successful each other.

“It’s a reliable thing,” says Omaira. “But we picked nan correct personification to spell done it with.”

This emotion was compounded erstwhile nan mates went done 2 miscarriages.

Omaira and Dimitris now person 3 children, pinch their sons Hector and Orion rounding retired nan family.

Dimitris calls fatherhood, “the top emotion successful nan world.”

“They are nan champion pieces of Omaira truthful they are very precious to me,” he says of his children.

The mates are raising their kids speaking a operation of Greek and English, and highlighting Greek, British, Indian and Pakistani traditions.

“The kids person been very alert of some halves of wherever they travel from,” says Omaira.

When they started raising their children, Omaira and Dimitris besides realized nan similarities betwixt their respective taste backgrounds – they’d some been raised pinch an accent connected organization and family.

“And accepting that family is going to interfere successful your business,” says Omaira, laughing.

20 years later

This twelvemonth marks 20 years since Omaira and Dimitris crossed paths astatine nan Athens Olympics. As personification who grew up loving nan Olympic Games, it’s typical to Omaira that her life is now everlastingly entwined pinch nan Games.

“I get very sentimental each clip nan Olympics rotation around, because I’m like, ‘That’s wherever we met,’” says Omaira. “Every clip I watch nan Greece Olympic opening ceremony, I will ever outcry because I retrieve really bully it felt to beryllium there. It’s wherever our communicative started.”

“The Olympics person a typical spot successful my heart,” agrees Dimitris. “They’re nan logic we met and why I person nan family I person today.”

It seems appropriate, says Omaira, that location are 5 Olympic rings and she and Dimitris and their sons are a family of five.

“Although sometimes I joke pinch Dimtiris, ‘You gave maine 1 ring. I request 4 more, because there’s 5 Olympic rings.’”

Omaira and Dimitris excited to watch this year’s opening ceremonial successful Paris. And coincidentally, they’ll beryllium successful nan metropolis during nan Games – though not astatine nan Stade de France. Omaira, Dimitris and their kids will beryllium astatine Disneyland Paris, Paris’ Disney taxable park, pinch nan Make-A-Wish Foundation, which facilitates memorable moments for children surviving pinch incurable illnesses.

“Hermes asked for a travel to Disney,” says Omaira. “So it conscionable truthful happens we’ll beryllium successful Paris during nan Olympics.”

Twenty years aft her unpaid experience, Omaira is still an advocator for nan Olympic unpaid programme – and ever encourages group to motion up.

“It was spectacular,” she says. “I still person friends from volunteering. We’re still successful touch, dispersed astir Europe –  dispersed astir here, location and everywhere. It was wonderful, because it was really what I wanted, which was to acquisition nan Olympics, from nan inside.”

And of course, volunteering led Omaira to Dimitris – and to a matrimony of 15 years and counting.

“It’s by nary intends a cleanable marriage, but if I was to opportunity a last connection to personification reference this, it would be, successful summation to my different comments to you, that location are times erstwhile you are madly successful emotion and location are times erstwhile you aftermath up and take to emotion that person, because things are hard,” says Omaira.

“You tin acquisition aggregate shades of a narration pinch nan aforesaid person. And also, spell distant and volunteer, kids, you ne'er cognize what mightiness happen.”