On Oct. 27, 2010, Cristian Corado and his fianceé Ana Arevalo were married in the Ellison 14 Oncology Unit of the Mass General Cancer Center. It may not have been the gala event some couples dream of, but it was a beautiful, moving ceremony and a testament to the determination of staff on Ellison 14 to grant their patient one last wish.
Cristian had been in and out of the hospital for nearly a year receiving therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Hospitalized when his prognosis grew worse, he let it be known that he wished to marry Ana.
“We knew time was running out,” says Liz Love, RN. “We all stepped up to do whatever we could to make this happen.”
His many caregivers quickly coalesced into a team of wedding planners. They contacted area vendors and received numerous donations, including a wedding cake, a tuxedo, pastries, food and flowers.
Ana and Cristian were married in his room surrounded by family members and friends. Sadly, Cristian passed away only five days after his wedding. But he died a happily married man.
