Colin and Tracey MacDonald Wed Just One Day Before She Dies From Terminal Lung Cancer

Credit: dailymail.co.uk

Colin MacDonald, 51, originally proposed to his wife Tracey 12 years ago. She said yes, but because they had six children to raise, they never found time to officially tie the knot. They recently got married less than 24 hours before Tracey MacDonald died from lung cancer. She was 52.

The couple wed on January 22 as Tracey lay in her hospital bed at the Moorabbin Cancer Centre in Victoria, Australia. A crowd of family and friends were there to show their love and support.

An Impromptu Ceremony Comes Together

Doctors were optimistic about her survival chances when Tracey MacDonald was initially diagnosed with lung cancer six months before her wedding day. However, a few days before she died, she collapsed when trying to get out of a chair, and the doctors revealed that Tracey’s condition was terminal. Colin and Tracey knew it was time to follow through on their commitment.

The ceremony was put together with the help of volunteers from My Wedding Wish. The Australian charity gifts weddings to couples when one is facing a terminal illness.

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Colin and Tracey MacDonald reached out to the organization just 22 hours before the wedding. Celebrant Gail Cremen spoke about the quick turnaround that needed to happen in an interview with dailymail.co.uk.

“As a My Wedding Wish volunteer, we know we have to hit the deck running and drop whatever we are doing to make these wishes come true,” she said. “Time is usually against us. Sometimes we have a week or two, but in this case, it was a matter of a day or so.”

According to Cremen, the couple was still very much in love, and it was important to Colin that he honor his proposal from 12 years ago. My Wedding Wish was able to arrange a photographer, videographer, baker and other vendors for the ceremony.

It was shocking to everyone that Tracey’s lung cancer had become terminal so quickly. Colin and Tracey MacDonald had recently bought their “forever home,” a semi-rural property where Tracey could keep her beloved horses.

“The reality of what was occurring really hit everyone hard as soon as Tracey’s bed was wheeled into the day room that had been prepared for us,” Cremen said.

But the mood soon switched to one of gratitude and appreciation of their love.

“When I asked Tracey if she took Colin as her life long partner, she said, ‘I do,’ and then repeated it again more forcefully, ‘I DO!,’ which made us laugh,” Cremen recalled.

The Legal Aspect

The legality of their marriage was in question before Tracey died. Following the ceremony, Colin asked Cremen if they could be legally married in the time they had left. It was important for both Colin and Tracey for that to go through.

Cremen took it upon herself to make sure the marriage was legal before Tracey MacDonald died. She spent the next two hours after the ceremony organizing an effort to sign and acquire all the necessary documents. She and her husband then drove to Melbourne to file the marriage application. They arrived just 10 minutes before the office closed.

Colin MacDonald
Credit: daliymail.co.uk

Officials told them initially that it would take 48 hours for the application to process. Cremen explained that the situation was dire and that they really only had hours left. They persisted and were able to have everything signed and approved in 10 minutes.

Cremen rushed back to the hospital, where she found Colin and Tracey with two of their daughters and two close friends.

“We waited a little while for Tracey to become fully alert,” Cremen said, “and then I conducted a short but sweet legal ceremony and was thrilled and relieved to finally pronounce them as husband and wife.”

Stories like this make us think about the passing of time and how important it is to be in each moment “now.” It’s obviously beautiful and wonderful that Colin and Tracey were able to marry before she died from terminal lung cancer. However, illnesses can be ruthless. No one expected her condition to become terminal so quickly.

This reminds us that it’s vital to express our love to and the gratitude we have for the people in our lives as often as we can. We never know how long we will have to do that, particularly when someone we love has a terminal illness.