Mom Films ‘Mother-Son Dance’ With Sick Son in Case He Doesn’t Live to See His Wedding Day

Mom Films ‘Mother-Son Dance’ With Sick Son in Case He Doesn’t Live to See His Wedding Day
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3/2/2020
Updated:
3/2/2020

A mom has shared a heart-wrenching video of her first “mother-son dance” with her severely ill 2-year-old son, Maddox, for fear that the little boy wouldn’t live long enough to dance with his mother on his wedding day.

Taking to Facebook on Feb. 23, 2020, to share footage of the emotional moment, mom Samantha Duran, from Pennsylvania, explained, “I’ve debated on sharing this, but sharing our story has always been a way to help me cope.”

“Last April, we got the worst news of our life and it’s been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotions since then,” she continued. “We were told that the cyst Maddox has on his spine could herniate his brain stem and ultimately take his life.”

As per the Daily Mail, Maddox was born with spina bifida and was later diagnosed with epilepsy. The little boy has already undergone 17 surgeries and lives with a permanent feeding tube. He cannot speak but communicates with his loved ones in a way that is intelligible to them.

As of February 2020, while Maddox and his parents, Samantha and Andrew, remain “in limbo,” Maddox’s journey has helped his mother to focus on what is really important in their lives.

“One of the thoughts that I had was that I might never get to have my Mother-Son dance with my special guy at his wedding,” the mom of three explained on Facebook, “because we’re not sure if that day will come.”

Samantha made a decision to bring the dance forward. She bought a dress for herself and a little suit, including a waistcoat and bow tie, for her son. “We had our dance,” she shared. “I will remember these two minutes for the rest of my life.”

In the moving video, Samantha, dressed in a beautiful burgundy dress and black heels, holds her son. Maddox is dressed in his smart navy blue suit and bow tie, and the pair rock gently to the music. Maddox, seeming to recognize and enjoy the song, grips his mother’s arm.

The song, “Proud Corazón,” is from the soundtrack to one of Maddox’s favorite animated films. To date, Samantha and Maddox’s heartbreaking video has been viewed over 61,000 times.
The family received an influx of support and well-wishes after Samantha and Maddox’s heartrending mother-son moment went viral. The mom of three returned to her Facebook post to thank people personally, writing, “Thank you all so much! The response to this has been so powerful!”

“We’re going to continue letting our sweet, sweet guy live his best life,” Samantha continued, “and keep making all of the memories we can.”

Samantha described her toddler to Good Morning America as “hard not to fall in love with,” adding that Maddox loves to cuddle and steal a person’s sunglasses. “He’s the cutest thing,” she continued, “we’re letting him live his best life and making the memories we can.”

The Duran family is having to cope with an uncertain future but are doing their utmost to enjoy every moment they have together. Samantha and Andrew have agreed upon no more traumatic surgeries for Maddox, and have even made arrangements for his funeral to eliminate the pain of having to do so if the time comes sooner than expected.

Quoting lyrics from Maddox’s favorite song, Samantha posted a heartfelt, enduring message to her son on Facebook, “Our love for each other will live on forever.”