Dying groom marries love of his life in tearjerking last minute hospital wedding

11 December 2023 , 13:25

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A dying groom married the love of his life in hospital, giving him the strength within to carry on his battle with cancer afterwards.

Zach Stroup, 27, did not have long left in his battle with cancer before he married his lover Maddie, 25, in the hospital where he was receiving treatment. The wedding plans were rushed through in 48 hours after Zach’s condition had got worse, leaving the couple concerned that he only had days left to live.

But Zach says the wedding ended up being a “turning point” which helped him push through the “dark” days of his illness. “It was the scariest thing I think I’ve ever been through – everything was so dark for so long but the wedding was a complete turning point for me.‌ I don’t think I would’ve made it through if it wasn’t for that day,” he recalled.

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Wedding plan were rushed through in 48 hours after Zach's condition worsened (@madison_stroup_ / CATERS NEWS)

Zach said before the wedding he was "exhausted" and "didn't want to keep going" (@madison_stroup_ / CATERS NEWS)

The high-school sweethearts had led a “perfect life” together before Zach came down with a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, after he bega feeling tired and having night sweats. He was given medication and it was expected he would return back to normal - but his symptoms began to deteriorate in November 2020.

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After a visit to hospital, Zach was diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer, a stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But the young man battled through intense treatment until he was declared to be in remission in April 2021. That year, during a trip to Florida, Zach proposed to the love of his life.

But in September 2021 disaster struck for Zach again when he began losing mobility in his legs and was almost paralysed. After he was rushed to hospital it was revealed a tumour had grown in his spinal cord - so he went back on chemotherapy right until a month before the wedding had originally been scheduled for.

The wedding was attended by family, friends, staff and patients in the hospital (@madison_stroup_ / CATERS NEWS)

At that moment, Zach’s health seriously deteriorated once again. So the couple declared they would marry in just 48 hours, kicking off an operation by nurses and family members to get everything in order as quickly as possible - before a celebration surrounded by staff and patients.

“I was really exhausted of fighting, I wanted to keep going for Maddie but I was so tired and just didn’t want to keep going. I felt like that was it for me, I was just in such a dark place that it felt like I was never going to get better,” Zach recalled. “But having that whole day be about nothing but me and Maddie and our love for each other brought so much happiness back to my life and made me realise what I had.”

“It just made me tremendously happy, when I saw her turn that corner it just gave me that drive and reminded me why I was fighting. She looked so beautiful and after everything we had been through seeing her so emotional made me realise what this was all about,” he continued.

Zach says when Maddie was walking down the makeshift aisle it "reminded" him why he was fighting (@madison_stroup_ / CATERS NEWS)

For Maddie, it was all about doing everything she could to keep Zach fighting and keep his spirit up. ‌“He wanted to give up and I couldn’t let that happen so we moved the wedding to two days after. We just thought, if it’s the last thing we get to do together then at least it’s something positive,” she said. “It was heartbreaking to see him feel so defeated but I was so happy to see how much light the wedding brought back into his eyes.

“I walked out of the elevator and there were patients and doctors standing in rows just cheering me on – I didn’t feel alone in that situation which was a beautiful feeling,” Maddie continued.‌ “I remember turning the corner and seeing Zach sat there with the biggest smile on his face. I was so proud of him for getting to that point and for not letting cancer take our moment away from us.”

The couple married in Colorado Blood Cancer Institute where Zach was receiving treatment. And immediately after the wedding, Zach said he was ready to try a chemotherapy trial - which he says was the harshest period of treatment he went through. After the chemotherapy showed signs of progress, he underwent bone marrow transplant to remove remaining cancer in the bones.

Maddie, the love of Zach's wife, gave him the strength to continue the battle (@madison_stroup_ / CATERS NEWS)

And with each round of treatment after his wedding, Zach became increasingly positive about recovering - and now has been in remission for months. With physical therapy on top of treatment, Zach has been returning to normal activity, including going on holidays and going back to work.

And now for Zach and Maddie, it is all about rebuilding the “perfect life” they had before Zach was diagnosed. “‌We will definitely renew our vows at some point so we get the chance to cut the cake and have a first dance. I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years so it feels like anything is a possibility,” Zach said.