Grammy-nominated Singer Jon Batiste, and author "Between Two Kingdoms," Suleika Jaouad revealed that they were secretly married.

FIRST meeting over 20 years ago, Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste are longtime partners with successful careers.

Suleika is an Emmy-winning columnist, while singer Jon Batiste has a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

Born on July 5, 1988, Suleika Jaouad is a native of New York City. Suleika attended the pre-college, graduated with the highest honors from Princeton University.

Suleika has served as a member of Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel, the national advisory board of Family Reach, and the Brooklyn Public Library's Arts & Letters Committee.

The couple (Jon Batiste & Suleika Jaouad), who have been together for eight years, decided to wed after she was diagnosed with leukemia.

"We got married the day before I was admitted to the hospital to undergo my bone marrow transplant," said Suleika

Jon Batiste said that the whirlwind ceremony "isn't gonna interrupt the plan that we have. This is just a bump in the road."

Jon Said: getting married can be an act of optimism, and defiance. The darkness will try to overtake you, but just turn on the light.

That sense of community, that sense of love, that sense of joy and spontaneity were so important" Suleika added.