Abraham Arceo has a wish not unlike many fathers: to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.
But his wish had to come true much sooner than expected, and thanks to the hospital staff at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, it did Thursday afternoon.
Arceo has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and recently, his condition has gotten worse. With the help of Arceo’s family, the hospital staff pulled together resources to have his daughter’s wedding at the hospital’s chapel.
Arceo’s now son-in-law, Alan Tran, explained that he exchanged vows with his now-wife, Brittny Arceo, long before their wedding. That promise was to always take care of each other’s parents.
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“The situation is, it's pancreatic cancer,” he said. “Everything happened so quickly.”
Arceo was diagnosed exactly a year ago.
“We’re doing this today so we have Brittny’s father there,” said Tran. “Just in case anything were to happen.”
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Tran and Brittny’s actual wedding date is not for another month but the family is not certain Arceo will live to see that day.
“He just asked that we do this just in case,” said Arceo’s daughter, Brittny. “That’s one thing he just wants to make sure – to walk me down and give me away.”
At the hospital chapel, just downstairs from Arceo’s hospital bed, the 50-year-old father gathered the strength to be by his daughter’s side.
The couple became husband and wife surrounded by family, friends and Arceo’s care team, fulfilling a vow they made to each other and a wish from the father of the bride.
“She’s always been daddy’s little girl,” said Brittny’s mother, Cecilia. “He told her, 'No matter what happens, you still get married, don’t worry about what people say, if anything happens to me, I just want you to be happy.'”
“It means everything because he’s my best friend and I hate seeing him hurt,” said Brittny.
“And whenever I see him happy, it just makes me happy.”
