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임종을 앞둔 아빠, 딸의 결혼식을 보고 떠나다 Terminally Ill Dad Fulfills His Final Wish to “Walk” His Daughter Down the Aisle

경제문화 Economy, Culture/얘기꺼리 Gosship2018. 8. 30. 00:48

Terminally Ill Dad Fulfills His Final Wish to “Walk” His Daughter Down the Aisle

By Kelly Richman-Abdou on August 28, 2018

Planning a wedding can be an emotional experience for anyone, but for bride-to-be Charlotte Villarin, it proved particularly poignant. While preparing for her big day, Villarin was also coming to terms with her father's terminal diagnosis. After a year-long struggle with liver cancer, Pedro Villarin's health was rapidly declining, and his daughter was faced with the reality that he may not make it to walk her down the aisle.

A Father's Love Law Tapalla Terminally Ill Father Walking Down the Aisle

임종을 앞둔 아빠, 딸의 결혼식을 보고 떠나다

딸의 손을 꼬옥 잡고

결혼을 계획하는 것은 누구에게나 가슴벅찬 일이지만 신부가 될 샬롯 빌라린에게는 특히 가슴 아픈 일이었다. 그녀의 중요한 날을 준비하는 동안, 빌라린은 아빠가 간암 말기라는 청천벽력 같은 소식을 접했다.

간암과의 1년 간 투병 끝에 아빠의 건강은 급격히 나빠졌고, 결혼식에 조차 걷지 못할 수도 있다는 현실에 직면했다.

그래서 빌라린과 그녀의 약혼녀인 마크 코도바는 결혼 날짜를 계획보다 두 달 앞당긴 8월 9일로 변경했다. 그들은 아빠가 가능한 한 편하도록 특별한 조치를 취했다.

"우리는 구급차와 개인 간호사를 고용했으며 아빠가 휠체어에 앉을 수 있을 것이라고 생각했지만 불가능했다 대신 구급차의 들것을 이용했다."

황기철 콘페이퍼 에디터 큐레이터

Ki Cheol Hwang, conpaper editor, curator

This realization prompted Villarin and her fiancé, Mark Cordova, to move their wedding date to August 9—two months sooner than they had planned. They also took special steps to make sure that her father was as comfortable as possible. “We hired an ambulance and a private nurse,” Villarin told Metro. “We thought he would be able to sit on a wheelchair, but he couldn't take it and used the stretcher from the ambulance instead.”

Though reclined on the gurney, Pedro was able to fulfill his dream of “walking” his daughter to the altar and watching her get married. Photographer Law Tapalla captured the touching scene in a series of striking photos, which he has aptly called A Father's Love.

“A Father's Love knows no boundaries,” he wrote on Facebook. “Mr. Pedro Villarin walked [his] daughter down the aisle like any father would have even if his current health makes this a difficult endeavor. Mark and Charlotte's wedding was a celebration of love, not only theirs but a love that joins their families closer to each other. We have witnessed how in every difficult situations there will always be hope and happiness. We're privileged to capture every moment of smiles and tears in this wedding.”

Sadly, Pedro passed away just three days after his daughter said “I do.” Though undoubtedly heartbroken, she is already seeing the situation's silver lining. “It was really painful,” she says, “but knowing that he left this world, fulfilling his dream, I’m happy already no matter what.”