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Teen fulfils wish to marry best friend days before her death


A teenager has lost her battle with cancer just days after marrying her childhood best friend at her hospital bed.

Twenty one-year-old Joey Williams met 19-year-old Nina Marino at summer camp when he was just eight years old.

Last year the pair began dating – just one month after Marino was diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma which spread to her lungs.

Florida US couple Joey Williams and cancer patient Nina Marino married in hospital days before she died.
Joey Williams and Nina Marino exchanged vows from her hospital bed in intensive care. Source: Love What Matters/ Photographer Nil Patel/Patel Creative.

After seven rounds of chemo and surgery to remove a tumour from her head, Mr Williams asked Ms Marino to marry him; determined to make the most of their life together.

As her condition deteriorated, Mr Williams stayed faithfully by her side, documenting their life together as they tackled items from their bucket lists on their Facebook page, The Chronic Travelers.

The American couple had planned to marry on September 4 in the chapel of St Joseph’s Children Hospital in Tampa, Florida, but on the eve of their wedding day, doctors gave the devastating news that Ms Marino might not make it through the night.

Florida US couple Joey Williams and cancer patient Nina Marino married in hospital days before she died.
Doctors told the couple Ms Marino might not make it through the night, so they wasted no time to get married. Source: Love What Matters/ Photographer Nil Patel/Patel Creative.

In an interview with People, Mr Williams recalled receiving the news.

“The doctor encouraged us that, if we wanted to be married, we should do it that day,” he said. “It was a lot at once. Nina just said, ‘OK, let’s do it.'”

Within hours, family, friends and the staff at St Joseph’s transformed Ms Marino’s hospital room in intensive care unit into a makeshift wedding venue, with twinkle lights, candles and music.

Nil Patel, a local photographer received the last minute call from a friend of the family and captured every beautiful, joyous, and heartbreaking moment from the ceremony.

Florida US couple Joey Williams and cancer patient Nina Marino married in hospital days before she died.
Nina Marino didn’t want to die without getting married to her best friend. Source: Love What Matters/ Photographer Nil Patel/Patel Creative.

Ms Marino lay in bed in her wedding dress, wearing her flower headband holding Mr Williams’ hand.

“It wasn’t the wedding of our dreams but it was the wedding that made our dreams come true,” Mr Williams said.

“It was really important to her. It was one of the things she absolutely wanted to do, one of the things I wanted to do.”

Ms Marino made it through the night, but passed away just six days later.

Florida US couple Joey Williams and cancer patient Nina Marino married in hospital days before she died.
Family and staff transformed Ms Marino’s hospital room into a makeshift wedding venue, with twinkle lights, candles and music. Source: Love What Matters/ Photographer Nil Patel/Patel Creative.

I was really happy because I got to marry my best friend. I had wanted to do that since we started dating,” Mr Williams said.

“It’s something we’ve known we wanted to do. I didn’t want her to die, but I knew that it was probably going to happen. So I wanted to do everything that we wanted to do. She said in the hospital that she didn’t want to die without us getting married.”

In an article for the blog Love What Matters Mr Patel says the young couple’s wedding was a transformative experience for all who witnessed it.

“I wish I could remember the vows that were exchanged, but my heart was pounding so loud I couldn’t hear a thing, Mr Patel wrote. “I do know the words Joey spoke to Nina made the entire room sob.”

“And, while Nina was not able to verbally express her love for Joey, it only took one look to bring him to his knees. He knew. her death