A Pennsylvania hospital recently hosted a wedding after the bride’s father was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Unable to travel from the medical facility, the celebration came to him, thus allowing the whole family share the special day.
According to WENY News, Utpal Roychowdhury’s health was declining in the weeks leading up to his daughter’s October wedding. A patient at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, Roychowdhur had been diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a type of terminal brain tumor.
Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer that can affect the brain or spinal cord. As noted by Mayo Clinic, the condition “can be very difficult to treat and a cure is often not possible.”
Despite his ailing health, Roychowdhury’s daughter, Cassiopeia, knew that her father needed to play an essential role in her nuptials: she wanted him to be the one who gave her away.
After hearing her wish, hospital staff took on the challenge and got to work preparing for the event. The wedding featured traditional Hindu music, food, dress and prayers, reported the Binghamton Homepage.
The Wednesday ceremony appeared to have been a success—and for the bride, having her father present was the best part. “This is incredible,” said Cassiopeia Roychowdhur, per the news outlet. “Thank you to my father’s nurses, doctors, and all of the Guthrie staff that came together to make this possible.”
Guthrie’s Medical Director of Palliative Medicine Dr. Patricia Fogelman also spoke of the event, praising her team for making Cassiopeia’s dream a reality.
“I’m extremely proud of the work my team does to create these extraordinary moments for our patients and their families,” she said. “This family will leave our hospital with a lifelong memory of how we were able to honor this sacred moment in their lives with attention and sensitivity to both religious and cultural needs, working diligently to assure the care we give provides both dignity and compassion.”
The hospital has since posted a slideshow of wedding photos on its YouTube channel. Pictures show how the hospital venue was transformed with decorations, flowers, and an array of sweet treats.
The unconventional wedding is not the only one to have been reported in recent weeks. For one couple, living on separate continents in the age of COVID-19 travel restrictions means that it’s hard to reunite—even on their wedding day. Their ceremony was held via Zoom, with the bride remaining in Pakistan while the groom was stuck in Australia.
Meanwhile, in September, a couple relocated their entire wedding to a remote spot right on the U.S.-Canada border. The move allowed for the New York state-based couple to share the celebrations with the bride’s 96-year-old grandmother, as well as the rest of her extended family.
A woman recently relocated her wedding to a hospital so that her father, a terminally ill patient, could attend. Above: A bouquet of wedding flowers.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
