Life is not fair. For all the greatness and beauty in the world, there’s just as much pain and suffering. This is a story that manages to weave both of those elements together–and is guaranteed to leave you crying like a baby.
Earlier this month in the Philippines, a 29-year-old man married the woman he was in love with, creating a family with her and their 2-year-old daughter. Which in and of itself is a nice story and not at all tragic. The fact that the wedding took place in a hospital where the young man died only a few hours later is.
Rowden Go and Leizel May had originally planned to be wed on July 8, Rowden’s 30th birthday. While we probably wouldn’t set a wedding date on someone’s birthday, it’s certainly a romantic notion. Unfortunately, those plans fell through in May when the groom-to-be was diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer, which meant even a July wedding was unlikely.
Rowden’s final request was to marry Leizel anyway–a request no one could possibly deny. Even more heartbreaking was that the wedding had to take place in the hospital–Rowden was too sick to even be moved off the premises. After 12 hours of preparations, the service was held in the on-site church, with Rowden dressed in a white tuxedo on his hospital bed and Leizel in a matching white dress. Their daughter Zakiah also participated as the flower girl, and the couple was surrounded by their smiling families.
The marriage was cut short, sadly, by Rowden’s passing less than ten hours later. Though it was hardly a surprise, we’re positive everyone reading this right now is either sobbing or about to be. This is a story without a silver lining or an ounce of mercy–but it is a beautiful story nonetheless.
You can watch the wedding video, which has over 7 million views already, below. We’d recommend having a box of tissues nearby.
The proceedings were immortalized on film thanks to iSnap Creatives, a Filipino event media company which provides film, photography, make-up, and other services, and later uploaded to YouTube by Rowden’s brother Hasest Go. Though Hasset’s name may not mean much to those outside the Philippines, he’s apparently a famous pastry chef in the country, which likely contributed to helping the beautiful video find the viral audience it definitely deserved.
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