Nicole and Chris, a young couple from Nashville, had been planning an October wedding when Chris was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer. In early August, Chris's doctors told them he wouldn't live much longer. Right then and there, the couple decided on a new wedding date: August 28. With just three weeks to plan the wedding of their dreams, Nicole’s maid-of-honor, Traci Esquibel, sprang into action.
Esquibel posted a request for support on Nashville Chive's website. One of this nonprofit's missions is to provide help to individuals and families dealing with rare medical diagnoses. After the post about Nicole and Chris went up on the site, companies from all over the Nashville area offered to help make their wedding happen for free. Of the miraculous generosity from companies, Chris's mother, Amy Ford, told The Daily News Journal, "People we never even knew contacted us. We had DJs...photographers, videographers, people offering to cook, florists, our cakes...the guy who owns City Liquors in La Vergne called and said, 'What do you need?'"
When the wedding day rolled around, every piece was planned perfectly. According to the Huffington Post, because Chris can no longer speak, his father read Chris's vows. Nicole is hearing-impaired, so Chris also surprised her by signing the words, "You are beautiful. I love you and you make me happy," which she said was her favorite part of that special day.
Sadly, Chris's health has continued to decline following the wedding, but the couple is grateful that, with help from their community, they were able to get married. Nicole explained, “The wedding meant that I got to marry my best friend ― the father of my children ― and grant his last wish." (Huffington Post)
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