NAPERVILLE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Cecilia Mendez has been fighting cancer since March and has been in and out of the hospital. She recently decided she wants to live the rest of her days at home, pain free. She also wanted to get married to her longtime partner, one of her last wishes.
When the staff at Seasons Hospice Inpatient Center in Naperville heard about her wish to be married, they quickly organized a dream wedding.
"We know time is of the essence, so we quickly made it happen," said April Dovorany of Seasons Hospice. "Our team member Kathy Macpherson worked with Catherine Simms Bridal in Aurora. The owner, Karen, donated a stunning wedding dress within just two days of contacting her."
Dovorany said the team took care of the rest of the details and plans were in place for the wedding to happen in no time. Mendez and her partner of 20 years, Luis, were married July 17 in the Naperville Hospice Inpatient Center, with their two children at their side.
The staff at Seasons organized a special walkway for Mendez, who is bed-ridden and cannot walk on her own. Rolling her down the hallway in a hospital bed, Mendez was fully in wedding attire with her dress matching the flowers in her hair and on her lap. Rose petals were strewn on her bed, which matched the maroon button-up her husband wore.
Mendez, who is 46 years old, smiled as Luis kissed her after their vows in Spanish. Their 7-year-old son Esteban was by their sides and acted as the flower boy, wearing a wooden sign around his chest that read, "Here comes the bride" in Spanish.
