Woman Dying of Cancer Fulfills Last Wish to Marry Boyfriend in Hospital Despite COVID Restrictions

Woman Dying of Cancer Fulfills Last Wish to Marry Boyfriend in Hospital Despite COVID Restrictions
(Courtesy of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center)
Epoch Inspired Staff
10/3/2020
Updated:
2/11/2022

A Las Vegas woman’s dying wish came true when she was able to marry her boyfriend in the hospital.

Too sick to leave her hospital bed, 33-year-old leukemia patient Alysia told the hospital staff of her dream to marry her boyfriend before she died.

Despite current pandemic restrictions, the staff promptly made her wish come true.

Doctors and nurses brought Alysia a wedding dress and a bouquet of flowers and took photos as the couple said their vows. A chaplain performed the in-hospital wedding and later presented the couple with a marriage license.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://southernhillshospital.com/">Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center</a>)
(Courtesy of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://southernhillshospital.com/">Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center</a>)
(Courtesy of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center)
Alysia had been fiercely battling leukemia in the hospital for over a month, according to Fox News. Initially, the wedding had been scheduled for August 6th but was moved up to the 5th due to Alysia’s worsening condition.

Under the glare of hospital lights overhead, Alysia and her betrothed, Daniel, kissed and exchanged whispered “I love you’s.”

“We have a saying,” Kelli Wray, assistant chief nursing officer at Southern Hills Hospital Medical Center, told Newsweek. “‘Care like family.’ With each patient we think, ‘what would we do for our family?’ That’s what we did here.”

According to Newsweek, Southern Hills is not currently allowing visitors due to the pandemic. However, because Alysia was considered near-end-of-life, hospital policy allowed Daniel to enter and be with his beloved.

Due to virus containment restrictions, Alysia also had not been able to see her three children, aged 5, 10, and 13, since she was admitted to the hospital in July.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://southernhillshospital.com/">Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center</a>)
(Courtesy of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://southernhillshospital.com/">Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center</a>)
(Courtesy of Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center)

One hour after the wedding, Alysia’s condition took a turn for the worse. Still fighting for her life, she was airlifted to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, where she waited for a bone marrow transplant that would save her life.

Desperate to follow her to Salt Lake, Daniel started a GoFundMe to help cover rent, food, utilities, travel expenses, and Alysia’s hospital bill.

Not only is Alysia on a fixed income, but Daniel was also laid off due to the pandemic, making it even more difficult for him to travel to be nearby.

“She didn’t even get to hug [our] children before she went to the hospital,” Daniel wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Our plan was to get married and become a family, build a life together.”

On the page, he also shared how they met, saying the young mother of three made him a “better person.”

“We brought balance to each other’s lives that we didn’t know that we deserved,” he added.

In a recent update, Daniel reported that Alysia’s turn for the worse was caused by a near-fatal bout of pneumonia. The condition led to heart failure and was the reason she was airlifted to Salt Lake City.

Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7735503,-111.8358368,3a,75.2y,110.46h,103.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMz-p57jKH-Bi-TXklo-mCg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656">Screenshot</a>/Google Maps)
Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City (Screenshot/Google Maps)

However, Daniel shared that Alysia made it through her near miss with death and is currently about to begin her third round of chemotherapy.

“The first treatment almost killed her,” he wrote, “but this new treatment is less aggressive.”

According to the update, the new treatment consists of a delicate cocktail of chemotherapy and medication that Alysia’s doctors have prescribed.

The combination seems to be working.

“My wife is improving,” the update reads. “It’s going to be a very long road ahead. But I couldn’t be happier with her progress. She is such a warrior for her children and I.”

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Epoch Inspired staff cover stories of hope that celebrate kindness, traditions, and triumph of the human spirit, offering valuable insights into life, culture, family and community, and nature.
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