Daughter holds wedding at Hackettstown Medical Center so terminally ill dad can attend
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (Warren County) – A woman and her fiancé tied the knot last month in a hospital room at Hackettstown Medical Center so that the bride’s father would be able to see her get married.
In July, Elizabeth was told her dad – the center of all her family’s world – had a short time to live. Elizabeth’s only wish was to let her dad see her get married. After receiving the bad news, Elizabeth’s fiancé, Dean, moved up his timeline and asked her to marry him, the hospital said in a Facebook post.
The couple quickly started to plan a wedding at the house where her father planned to receive hospice care but his health started deteriorating faster than expected. While getting their marriage license, they learned that her father wasn’t doing well and his care team was unsure whether he would make it to hospice care.
“When we walked into my dad’s room, he was in tears seeing us all there with him,” Elizabeth said. “My dad was able to give me away to marry my love. It was so special in the most amazing way to have that moment and share it with everyone there. We knew how unconventional it may have seemed, but to us it wasn’t. It was exactly how it was supposed to be. It was intimate, full of love and in the presence of my father.”
“Dean and I, and of course my family, are all eternally grateful to have been given this moment to remember forever,” Elizabeth said. “We are forever thankful for all those who helped make it happen!”
“Thanks to a coordinated effort by multiple team members at Hackettstown Medical Center, a terminally ill father was able to be a part of his daughter’s special day shortly before he passed away,” hospital officials said.
