On a wedding day it is customary for the father of the bride to accompany his daughter down the aisle to the altar, along at the church (or any other location chosen for the big day). Unfortunately, not all of us have this opportunity, even if we have the wish to have our fathers alongside us on the special day. Hailey Carvey, for example, knew that her father would not be at her wedding, because, for as long as she could remember, she had spent her entire childhood with her grandfather, Jose Guzman, also known as "Papa". Accompanying her on that special day was to be him - her true father figure. But Jose was very ill and was confined to a bed at a hospital. Hailey and her fiancé, Ethan, then thought up a practical solution to this problem that could hopefully work.
Hailey Carvey did not grow up with her biological father, but rather with her grandfather, who has always stood by her as her real father. The memories she has of her childhood spent with "Papa" Jose were, for her, the best memories she has. It is understandable, then, that the young woman wanted him as her father figure to accompany her down the aisle to the altar on her wedding day. When her fiancé, Ethan Carvey, asked her to marry him, Hailey didn't think twice and gave the fateful "yes". From that moment on, preparations began to make their wedding day extra special.
Of course, Hailey wanted more than anything else to have "Papa" Jose attend her celebration in person, but soon afterwards, she learned of some very bad news.
Her grandfather was very ill and was not able to actively participate in the wedding ceremony: he had cancer and, despite chemotherapy treatment, it had spread throughout most of his organs, leaving the poor man with very little time left on earth. Given this, the couple needed to hurry up with the wedding preparations, and above all, they needed to find a way to get have the grandfather attend their wedding. After talking about it together, and within 18 hours of receiving the news of Papa Jose's terminal condition, Hailey and Ethan decided to get married in the intensive care unit of the Logan Health Hospital, where the man was hospitalized.
Hailey walked down the hospital corridors and entered the hospital room, as if she were walking down the aisle of a church, holding her grandfather's hat in her hands. This was a symbolic gesture to represent him being next to her at that moment.
The wedding ceremony was celebrated in front of "Papa" Jose, who acted as a witness to his "daughter". It may not have been the ideal wedding that every couple dreams of, but Hailey knew full well that she couldn't bear the idea of not having the only father figure she has ever known alongside her on the special day.
This is a story that moved us all, and one we want to share with you here. We wish this couple a wonderful future together!
