The epitome of love, dedication and determination? Perhaps. A terminally ill bride-to-be has refused to let a rare type of incurable cancer stop her from marrying the love of her life. In hospice, surrounded by loved ones, Madisonville, Tennessee, resident Ronda Bivens married the father of her two young children last week in an impromptu service. “She wanted to have a beautiful wedding, and I wanted to give her that,” Ronda’s husband, Matt Mager, told HuffPost. Ronda’s best friend, Amanda Dalton, was among those who helped organize the nuptials. “It was friends calling friends, getting everything together,” said Dalton, who helped get Ronda into a donated wedding dress. “We called the county clerk’s office ― they sent someone out ― and we got a preacher. It happened literally within a couple hours once we got it rolling.” Ronda’s wedding day, which was also her 28th birthday, came after more than a year of chemotherapy, radiation and the amputation of her right leg, with Matt all the while by her side. “He is like one of a kind,” said Dalton. “He’s been there nonstop for her since the beginning. He loves her unconditionally. That’s the truth.” Doctors in February 2016 diagnosed a lump on Ronda’s ankle as epithelioid sarcoma, a rare type of a cancer that affects only 1 in 2.5 million people. Ronda’s doctors amputated her leg in May 2016, but by then the cancer had spread to her lungs. “They told us right off the bat there was no cure,” Matt said. “They said, ‘We can just do what helps.’ But everything they’ve done has just made it worse. It’s financially wrecked us, and I’ve had a front row seat to my best friend dying. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s very emotional.” The couple, who have known each other since childhood, have been together since they were teenagers. They have two children, a 6-year-old son, who just graduated first grade, and a 4-year-old daughter. Matt said that, while he has little control over what happens next, there is one thing he is certain of: “Our children will never forget her. I tell her every day the kids are never not going to know who you are.” - David Lohr for @HuffPost // ?: Courtesy Matt Mager

huffpostさん(@huffpost)が投稿した動画 - 2017/05/24 09:01:12