Terminally Ill Father “Walks” Daughter Down The Wedding Aisle

Credit: Law Tapalla via Facebook

Pedro Villarin had been living with liver cancer for the past year. His final wish was to escort his daughter Charlotte down the aisle to marry her fiancé Mark Cordova.

In fact, the couple decided to move the wedding date up two months to ensure that Pedro could live out his fatherly wish.

Pedro has been bedridden during the last year and the original plan was for the terminally ill father to “walk” Charlotte down the wedding aisle in a wheelchair. However his health deteriorated more quickly than expected, and he had to attend the ceremony on an ambulance stretcher instead.

Wedding organizers and relatives pushed the stretcher along as Mr. Villarin held onto his daughter’s hand.

“This was really an emotional moment,” the newlywed Villarin said. “My father’s one wish was to see his daughter married and we made it come true for him…It made the day very bittersweet. It hurt me knowing that he would be leaving us, but I was happy that he was there. I am happy he could see me get married.”

The emotional day almost didn’t happen, as Mr. Villarin was, for lack of a better term, truly on his deathbed. He had been admitted to the hospital days earlier because he was in extreme pain.

Charlotte was unsure if her terminally ill father would be able to attend the ceremony. She noted that they were going back and forth between home and the hospital beforehand. Charlotte later revealed that her father died three days after the wedding.

Credit: dailymail.co.uk

Charlotte shared a photo of her kissing her father during the wedding with the caption, “Papu, I love you so much.”

“It was really painful,” she added. “But knowing that he left this world, fulfilling his dream, I’m happy already no matter what.”

The Power of Social Media

This story has shown how much power social media has when it comes to sharing meaningful content around the world.

Thousands of people now know this heartwarming story because Ms. Villarin chose to share her wedding experience online. In fact, a professionally-produced video has been shared alongside the photos, which you can view here.

Of course there are many pitfalls to the rise of social media. But this story is an example of the numerous, positive ways social media can connect us. Perhaps this story can prove to be an inspiration to others. It has certainly shown that the love a father has for his child can inspire tremendous courage, even in the face of death.