Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg pens 'open love letter' to fiance
What's the story
The last time Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg hit headlines for her personal life was February 2020, when she announced her engagement to marketing CEO and former NBC News producer, Thomas 'Tom' Bernthal. Now, she has shared "an open love letter" to Bernthal. The Facebook second-in-command took to Instagram to post the heart-warming letter, where she tagged noted magazine, Good Housekeeping.
Tragedy
Sheryl's letter started with her husband Dave's death
"When I lost Dave in 2015, my whole world turned upside down. I really wasn't sure I could ever devote my heart to another person like that," began her letter to Bernthal. The billionaire Facebook bigshot's husband died of a heart attack at the age of 48 on May 1, 2015. The couple had flown to Mexico for a trip when tragedy struck her.
Courage
The top executive had also shared her tragedy on Facebook
Ten days after Sheryl, a mother of two, returned to work, where her colleagues couldn't bring themselves up to talk to her. "Everyone looked at me like I was a ghost," she had shared with her boss, Mark Zuckerberg, who said that her colleagues wanted to talk, but "they just don't know what to say." Within a month, she narrated her loss on Facebook.
Engagement
Kelton Global CEO Bernthal had proposed to Sheryl in 2020
The 51-year-old found a new lease of life, thanks to Rob, the brother of her deceased husband, who introduced her to his friend, Bernthal. Love happened and Bernthal, CEO of Kelton Global, got engaged to Sheryl on February 1, 2020. He proposed to Sheryl with a ring studded with five diamonds, symbolizing their five children, thus highlighting the importance of their combined family.
Context
Option B can be filled with joy; she thanks Bernthal
Cherishing that journey, Sheryl thanked Bernthal in the letter for letting her know that "Option B can be filled with profound joy." She also praised her fiance for respecting the place her former husband has in her life. "But you know that, and you understand and respect it, which makes me love you even more," Sheryl wrote. The post has received over 39,000 likes.