When people reach a major stage in their lives, it’s natural for them to want all the people they’ve developed close relationships with to be there to see them take that big step.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t always make this so easy, as some relatives may not be in any condition to attend the ceremony. My mother experienced this when her wedding day happened to be scheduled during a time when my grandmother was battling cancer.
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So after the wedding, my parents visited her in the hospital dressed exactly as they were during the ceremony.
A Texas woman underwent a similar visit, but the timing of her wedding required more careful planning.
Last winter, 102-year-old Stasia was put in hospice care in Naples, Florida.
As her granddaughter, Tara Foley wrote on Facebook, one of the nurses asked what her goals were.
To that, she replied that she wanted to attend Foley’s wedding in Austin, Texas.
Unfortunately, the hospice staff told her that this wouldn’t be possible because it would involve getting on a plane.
And since her heart was failing, they determined that she was in no condition to fly.
However, as Foley said , “I knew in my heart she was trying to hang on to get there somehow.”
And so, Foley decided to fly out to her grandma with her wedding dress and makeup on.
As Huffpost reported , she also asked Marie Kamp of Red Door Photography to document the January visit.
As Foley said, “When I got there, I already had all my makeup on, so I asked my aunt and uncle to send Nana outside so she wouldn’t see me all dolled up. They didn’t tell her who was visiting but when Nana saw me, she said, ‘I thought it was going to be you!’”
Foley said that once Stasia saw her, it was like a younger version of her grandma has emerged.
As Foley said, “She was just so surprised. She stretched out her arms and reached for a hug the moment she saw me and told me I was beautiful.”
Foley said the day this all happened was one of the greatest days of her life.
As she wrote on Facebook, “Words cannot explain how much these moments mean to me and I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life. Her smile and her laugh are forever etched in my mind and the love between us will live in my heart.”
Still, even the best days must come to an end and Foley believes that both she and Stasia knew this would be the last time they would see each other.
As she said, “She grabbed my cheeks with her hands, looked me straight in the eye and said ‘I love you very much.'”
27 days later, Stasia passed away.
As HuffPost reported , however, Foley would later surprise her family with the photos they took together when her wedding day rolled around in June.
As she wrote on Facebook, “I may have lied to my entire family about where I was that weekend, and I didn’t tell my friends so I could surprise everyone with these photos.”
She said their reaction was priceless.
h/t: HuffPost . Facebook | Tara Foley
