Dying woman marries fiancé in hospital room: 'Joys catch us by a wonderful surprise'

A 30-year-old Indiana woman, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was an infant, was granted one last wish on Tuesday. Inside a medical intensive care unit, Anna Gonzales was able to say "I do" to her fiancé.

Gonzales, who entered Indianapolis University Health on June 2, was recently informed that she did not have much longer to live. Upon hearing the news, Gonzales had one thought: She wanted to marry the man she fell for five years ago over Thanksgiving dinner, Justin Middleton.

Gonzales and Middleton, who dated for three years and were engaged for two, sat side-by-side in a hospital room in front Gonzales' brother, Santiago, and other relatives, nurses and social workers, who were there to witness their nuptials. However, the room had to be fit for a wedding first.

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"Anna has wanted to get married for some time and on this admission we decided it was time to make it happen," nurse Meredith Kille, Gonzales' case manager, said.

According to a press release from IU Health, Gonzales' nurses, therapists, social workers and physical therapists hung crepe paper flowers, decorated the room with hospital-approved battery-operated candles, and created beautiful bouquets of artificial flowers. A case manager, nurse Ruth Miller, made Gonzales a champagne gown with brocade lace. Her wedding day attire was completed with a gold tiara and matching veil.

The celebration of love wasn't just important for the couple either.

"It feels so special whenever someone is so ill and you can give them something so important and focus on the whole person," Cynthia Brown, MD, who is caring for Gonzales, said in the press release. "There are times you can't make the disease better, but you can ask, 'What is important to you right now?'"

When the couple went to exchange rings, Gonzales said she didn't think Middleton had the time to get one, as he dropped everything to travel to be with her when he was told she wouldn’t live much longer. Her nieces, Amillia and Sophia, then gave Gonzales a small bag, which contained a silver ring with purple gemstones — her favourite colour.

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"When they told me I needed to get here and that she was at the end of life, I came with very little," said Middleton. "I've never looked at a person's health. I've always looked at who they are. We all have our challenges, our downsides. I wanted to make this happen for Anna. Once the date was set, I snuck into the hospital gift shop and bought the ring."

Chaplain Staci Striegel-Stikeleather aptly said during the ceremony: "This love is far more reaching than any circumstance, illness, or space in time. This may be an unconventional place for a wedding, but it is often in the chaos of life where beauty emerges and blessings and joys catch us by a wonderful surprise."

After the exchanging of rings, and the shared "I do's," Gonzales told the couple's well-wishers, "Today, I got to marry my best friend."

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