Last month, a terminally ill cancer patient in Georgia received his dying wish to marry his sweetheart. Alexander Santos, 25, died of cancer on August 8, three weeks after his wedding, according to his family.
Santos was diagnosed with a non-seminoma germ cell tumor in November of last year, and doctors warned him it was terminal. Despite treatment, the cancer spread to other places of the body from its original location.
He was constantly in and out of hospitals. He told his Piedmont Columbus Regional nurse last month that he wanted to marry his high school love Heather. They began dating after high school and have been together for three years, with a two-year-old son. Santos and Heather married in a hospital room four days after he told medical workers that one of his dying wishes was to marry.
According to Fox 5, the medical personnel assisted the pair in finding a wedding gown and tuxedo, as well as a priest. They also assisted the couple in obtaining a marriage license, a wedding cake, and a reception.
“All we want to do is make every life special, so that even in their last moments they remember the good things, not the bad,” oncology nurse manager Ngozi Onukwue told WTVM.
Family and friends were at the hospital to celebrate with Santos and his wife. “I’m with the person I love and wouldn’t change anything for the world,” Santos said after the ceremony.
A week after the wedding, Santos’ condition got worse and he became unresponsive in hospital. He passed away on August 8. “Our staff was honored to be able to share a special moment with Alex and his family near the end of his life by arranging a wedding for him and Heather,” Piedmont Columbus Regional said in a statement cited by WTVM.
“It was truly a special day for everyone involved and all who attended,” the hospital said.