Shine OnPennsylvania couple arrange hospital wedding so ill mother can attend
Nearly four years ago, Adam Kern, 31, and Ashley Leight, 27, met for the first time at a resort in South Carolina. Three years later, the Pennsylvania couple were engaged.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Adam's mother fell ill. Anna Mae Kern, 63, who has been battling breast cancer since 2006, landed in Excela Latrobe Area Hospital in Latrobe, Penn. for further chemotherapy.
For Adam, the possibly of not having his mother at his wedding was too emotionally devastating. Since him and his fiancée still hadn't set a date for their wedding, he asked the hospital staff if they could host an impromptu and casual wedding at the hospital's chapel. Much to his delight, they were able to plan a wedding within weeks and the couple got married this past Friday in the presence of one very proud mother.
Also see: Paralyzed bride fulfills her dream of walking down the aisle
“There's my son! There they are!” exclaimed Kern on the day of the wedding, after turning the corner in her wheelchair to see the lovely couple. “There's my family.”
Complete with streamers, bubble blowing and sliver balloons, the couple fulfilled their dream of having Kern's blessing while exchanging vows.
“Life is so short. I wanted her to see it,” Adam tells the Pittsburgh Tribune. “We had thought about doing it soon, but as soon as we found out mom was getting sick, we just automatically jumped everything up,”
“Words can't describe how it makes me feel,” Ashley says. “She's such an amazing woman. You leave the room and you feel like you've been lifted. Very strong."
Also see: Strangers give dying bride her dream wedding
Various hospital departments — including housekeeping, dietary and escort — coordinated their efforts to pull off the wedding, which included a complimentary cake and fruit punch.
“To see her smiling and interacting,” says nurse Carrie Polo, “That just makes everything worth it.”
It turns out, Adam and Ashley aren't the first couple to host their wedding at a hospital so that a dying family member could attend.
This past June, a Maine couple who were planning on having a wedding in August got married at a hospital in Massachusetts, which was organized in just three hours, after discovering the groom's grandfather was nearing his final days.
