real life

This woman's husband wants you to know the beautiful story behind this viral meme.

One year ago, Steven Alexander posted a hilarious photo of his wife online.

In the photo, which he shared on Imgur and has now been viewed more than 8.9 million times, Steven’s wife has her arms crossed and wears an angry expression as she rides the theme park’s iconic Splash Mountain ride.

This photo of Steven's wife quickly went viral. Image via Facebook.

"I wouldn't go on Splash Mountain with my wife," he captioned the pic.

One year on, and Steven is sharing the surprisingly heartwarming story behind the viral snap.

"A year ago this week, I posted a picture of my wife riding Splash Mountain. She was alone, sitting in the middle of the third row, giving a real mean stare towards the camera," he wrote on the Love What Matters Facebook page.

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"But the story behind the picture is the culmination of a lot of years of struggle for us."

Steven revealed he met his wife after his first kidney transplant had failed, and he was returning to dialysis.

"Starting a new relationship under these circumstances was hard, but she stuck by me - and a few years later we were married," he wrote.

Steven and his wife. Image via Facebook.

"I was often very ill, and travel was something we just couldn't do. She had hopes to take me to Disney World, as I'd never been before in my life, but we could never make it work."

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After Steven finally received another transplant years later, the pair were able to visit the theme park...only to find her favourite ride, Splash Mountain, was closed.

"I told her we'd ride it when we came back. After the birth of our son, we decided to take a family trip...We spent a nice day in the Magic Kingdom, but towards the end of the day - I ran out of steam, and told her she'd be better off riding alone," Steven said.

"She marched off towards the ride, alone, and when we made our way over, she got off the ride, handed me her phone, showed me the picture and said, 'I did this for you!'"

Steven said the hilarious photo made the pair "break into laughter".

The pair eventually rode Splash Mountain together a few months later. Image via Facebook.

"The ability to make each other laugh, even in the difficult times, has been the glue of our relationship," he shared.

"So, the world sees a silly picture of an angry lady on Splash Mountain, but I see the funny, smart, intelligent and beautiful woman who carried me through life, and I love her more than anything.

"The truth is, I'd ride into anything or climb any mountain with and for her. She's given me life, two beautiful kids, and the greatest life a guy could ever ask for."