When you find that special person in your life, all you want to do is shout it from the mountains. It’s one of the greatest feelings ever. Imagine for a moment, you can’t tell anyone about it and you remain committed to one another for over 65 years but you don’t dare tell anyone. 

When we first meet Pat Donahue and Terry Henschel, they’re living out their golden years in Illinois and Terry was just diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Pat laments that now may be the right time to sell the house and move. Terry’s niece, Diana, and family in Edmonton is urging them to move back to Canada and look into retirement living. Terry is very much like a mother to Diana and they tell of the time that Terry and Pat had came out as being gay to her 3yrs prior. 

Though A Secret Love touches on many different stories throughout their 60+ years together, it spends the right amount of time telling the viewer about these pivotal moments in each others lives. From Pat’s time with the “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League” in the 40s, to meeting in Saskatchewan, to working together for 26 years in the same office. We even get to learn about what a wonderful man her father was but also how her mother would have fully disapproved of their relationship. 

The story about how they met in Moosejaw playing hockey is especially touching to hear Pat and Terry recall that moment another moment that they kissed in the middle of the street in a Sandstorm. An awful bold move back in those days. Terry sure had her fair share of hurt(was it fate? – You’ll understand when you watch) in her relationships. It sure feels to me that their paths were meant to intertwine bringing them together forever. 

Not to say that there aren’t some incredibly sad moments, A Secret Love is a happy love story that I’m glad to have been able to be a small part of. Terry and Pat were trailblazers and they both led incredible lives together. Their love and dedication to each other, despite what society and family said was wrong, is admirable and something that more couples should strive to achieve. 

You can find A Secret Love on Netflix April 30th.

J