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Dying Father Attends Daughter’s Wedding at his Hospice

Greg Brown didn't have long to live, so his daughter Jeanette and her partner Josh Cunha got married at his hospice.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 18 2010
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Jeanette Brown and her longtime partner, Josh Cunha, had always planned to get married. But the couple from Holiday, Florida had two children in quick succession, and money was tight. Jeanette bought wedding invitations, but then packed them away in the closet for the next three years.

She and Josh were already a family, so they didn’t think there was any real rush to tie the knot, even though her father, Greg Brown, was eager to see them get married. Whenever they chose to do it, Jeanette knew that her father would be there to walk her down the aisle.

But just before Thanksgiving, Greg’s hand went numb, and he discovered that he had brain cancer. The tumors were extensive, and didn’t shrink with treatment. Instead, within weeks, they had spread throughout his body. Doctors said he had just a few months to live, so Jeanette and Josh knew that if they wanted him at their wedding, they couldn’t waste any more time.

So, at the end of March, the couple visited Greg’s hospital room together to show off Jeanette’s new engagement ring. Josh asked Greg for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

“It’s about bloody time,” he said.

The next day, Greg was moved to the Marliere Hospice Care Center, where he would live out the rest of his life. So the couple decided to hold the wedding there.

With just a week of preparation time, the couple organized dresses and suits for the wedding party, flowers, food, cake, music, flowers, and all the rest of it. And even though Greg was very weak, when it was time to walk his daughter down the aisle, he stood up and led her down to the gazebo, where she joined hands with her fiancé. Jeanette and Josh recited their vows, and were finally joined in marriage in front of Jeanette’s proud father.

After the wedding, Greg was too tired to dance with his daughter to the song they had chosen, Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses.” Instead, he simply sat with her, holding her hand through the length of their song.

Greg Brown passed away on May 5th.
Watch the beautiful slide show gallery of images from the wedding.

Filed under: General Interest,

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