Though married couples may feel they would stick by their partner through sickness and health, some may find it tough in certain medical situations.

Sadly, divorce could be imminent if a spouse suffers from a brain injury that leaves them with Alzheimer's, dementia or amnesia. Such a change in a person can cause an immense amount of stress, emotional pain and distance in the relationship that make one or both people looking for a way out.

There are no easy answers about what one should do in such a situation, but a few recent instances where it has actually taken place may provide some answers.

One situation is based on a woman who divorced her husband but still cared for him throughout her second marriage. Another was provided by a religious broadcaster, who suggested divorcing that person and beginning a different relationship.

On the other hand, the recent movie "The Vow" has made couples believe the relationship could still work. Based on a true story, the wife in the film suffers from loss of memory after a car accident. In order to save their marriage, the husband begins to date her in order for her to fall in love with him all over again.

A Villanova University ethicist said the faith in the marriage is a key point that couples need to recognize. Also, what brought the couple together should be embraced no matter what point in a marriage people are.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America's director of consumer services, a study reveals most of the couples with a spouse suffering from a major brain injury are still married. The idea of those couples divorcing is a simple misconception, he added.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Till death (or dementia) us do part," Adelle M. Banks, Feb. 11, 2012