Warning: This post contains spoilers from Netflix Season 4 Love is blind: After the altar special.
Love is blindBliss Poureetezadi and Zack Goytowski know the importance of compromise in marriage.
Shortly after the Season 4 couple tied the knot, the two moved in together to start a new life. However, they quickly realized that it would not be an easy process as Zack was very allergic to Bliss’ two pets, Asher the dog and Blythe the cat.
Realizing that Zack, 32, could barely breathe around animals, Bliss, 33, made the difficult decision to give Asher and Blythe to their mom and sister. But the couple was determined to bring them home one day, so they sought out an allergist to help Zack undergo immunotherapy.
The moment is shown on the new Love is blind: After the altar special, which premiered on Netflix on Friday. Although the three episodes didn’t show the end result of his treatment, fans who follow Zack and Bliss on social media probably know it was successful and have since brought their pets home.
Despite the challenges, Zack and Bliss tell PEOPLE that they are grateful for the difficult experience because it made them even stronger as a couple.
“It was very difficult,” says Bliss. “I wouldn’t do this for anybody else. These animals are like my children. And I think that just speaks to how much I really love Zack and care for him. I think I just had hope and faith in the universe or whatever, if they could would come back to us.”
“We’ve had to sacrifice a lot for each other in our short marriage so far,” she continues. “I think him going through the physical aspect of having to get injections twice a week for a long, long period of time, and then me having to give up my animals, I think that was a really big, beautiful bonding moment for us, and learning that that’s the essence of a relationship, not just compromises on the little things or whatever, but the big things.”
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Zack points out that “everyone has different levels of connection with their animals, but Bliss truly loves Asher and Blythe as children.”
“I’ve always loved animals, but I’ve also always been allergic to anything with fur, so I’ve always had to stay away,” he explains. “For me, it’s really been a growing experience and learning what it means to be an animal parent and not an animal owner… And there is a real difference.”
“That factored into Bliss being separated from them for so long that it was so important to me that we get them back to her and that we can do that obviously safely,” he continues. “So we kind of tested it. We did a couple of visits, and I was evaluating where my allergies were and where my reactions were. And we got to a point where I felt, okay, we can do this.”
Zack adds, “She’s a lot happier with them. That was my big motivation…I was ready, whatever we had to do to get them back.”
Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi at the ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 4 Reunion. Adam Rose/Netflix Love Is Blind, Zack and Bliss Focus on ‘Cherishing the Ordinary Moments’ with Monthly Anniversaries
Zack and Bliss first opened up about their pet challenges in a joint Instagram post in July.
In his post, Zack explained how “anything with fur” would trigger his allergies, to the point where it “stopped my breathing.” He then detailed the “rollercoaster journeys” the two went through to get their pets home.
“We embarked on this colossal undertaking for almost a year of immunotherapy, going to the doctor and getting allergy shots twice a week. It was hard. But love makes you do things you never thought possible,” he wrote in the caption. “I really never thought this would be possible, but I had to try for Bliss. And you know what? We did it … seeing that joy in her eyes makes every moment of this challenging journey worthwhile.”
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With their family now complete, Bliss and Zack tell PEOPLE they continue to enjoy life as a married couple and look forward to what the future holds.
“Hopefully [we’ll be] buying a house soon,” says Bliss. “And we’ve traveled so much, and we definitely want to continue to travel together and just grow together and experience life and have fun.”
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Love is blind: After the altar season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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Source: HIS Education