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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — In a small aquamarine-colored room at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis, Lindsi Fulcher and Brian Hoy made a promise.
A promise to be together, till death do them part. Tommy Fulcher kept a promise in that same aquamarine room Saturday, The Wichita Eagle reports.
Though his acute myeloid leukemia was diagnosed terminal on Wednesday, Tommy Fulcher was able to keep his promise that he would walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.
On Wednesday, nurses and staff at the hospital began arranging a wedding ceremony for Saturday in a family room at the Cancer Institute — complete with candles, ribbons, silk flowers and a three-layer wedding cake.
"For the most part, I was just trying to keep my emotions and my tears in check," Lindsi Fulcher said. "It was just a sense of relief to know that dad was able to be a part of it."
Arm-in-arm with his daughter, Tommy Fulcher was pushed down the 10-foot aisle, accompanied by frequent sniffles from the assembled 20 people.
The officiant, David Gray, said, "Even though we suffer, hope is a very big part of today."
Tommy Fulcher, 56, nodded.
In the fluorescent hallway light, after smiles, handshakes and hugs, a tear fell to his lap.
He was whisked away down the hall after the ceremony with the newly married couple. All of the nurses on the floor lined the hallway, tossing rice.
All things being considered, we are still in a hospital, but I don't think it could have been any better, which is amazing.
–Brian Hoy
The couple had originally planned their wedding for October. They said they will still have a reception in October for their friends and extended families.
Despite the change in plans, Hoy said everything was "still perfect."
"All things being considered, we are still in a hospital, but I don't think it could have been any better, which is amazing," he said.
Lindsi Fulcher and Hoy met through mutual friends at Wichita State University a few years ago, she said. He proposed to her in May, just a month after her father was diagnosed with cancer.
She works at Emprise Bank, and he works for Koch Business Solutions.
"I know it was important to him to be present in October," Lindsi Fulcher said. "I know there's a part of him that feels disappointed he possibly won't be there in October. I think it was perfect that he was there with me - he gave me away in front of our families."
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
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