Catherine Holm, of Long Island, N.Y., had picked out a dress and couldn’t wait to fly to Puerto Rico for her 24-year-old son Mark’s wedding on Saturday, April 23. But 58-year-old Holm’s plans changed in March, when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Holm spent three weeks in the bone marrow transplant unit at Stony Brook University Hospital, in Stony Brook, N.Y., where some of her nurses suggested an early ceremony at the hospital— an arrangement that would allow Holm to see her “baby boy” get hitched while awaiting a bone marrow transplant.
The family all got on board, and Monday evening, Mark Jr. and his fiancée, Joanna, said their vows at the Stony Brook University Chapel. Afterward, they celebrated with a reception at a café in the hospital.
Holm was thankful to the hospital staff for the idea and their support.
"I'm overwhelmed that people would do things like this," Holm told NBC New York amid tears on Monday. "I'll never forget what they've done for me and my family."