To have time to get married is the dying wish of an 18—year-old girl
Leslie Rivera is 18 years old and lives in Murrieta, California. In April, she was diagnosed with a terrible leukemia. The girl has only a few months left to live. Her family and friends turned to the Make a Wish Foundation, which fulfills the last dreams of the terminally ill. And Leslie's desire was quite feasible, simple, but at the same time very touching – to marry her beloved man, who selflessly took care of her all this time. And last Thursday, the wedding of Flattery Rivera and Daniel Mendez took place.
(12 photos in total)
1. Leslie and Daniel met in a group "Against Racism" at a school camp in October 2012, and have been inseparable ever since.
2. After graduating from school in April, Leslie has to spend almost all of her time in the hospital. And Daniel never leaves her side.
3. The girl loves to watch a TV show about how the master of his craft David Tutera organizes weddings for celebrities.
4. Sarah Pizzaruso from the Make a Wish Foundation contacted David Tutera to help them fulfill her ward's last wish. They say that, given Leslie's condition, they understood that they needed to "act quickly."
5. "David reacted very quickly, and within a few days his team started organizing her special day," says Sarah. And when Leslie was trying on a dress, David personally came to see her, which literally shocked the girl.
6. "An announcement about this event was published on David's website, and hundreds of people responded to it: they sent money as much as they could."
7. "The best thing," says David, "is to see that she is an ordinary bride."
8. Together, Flattery and the organizers worked out her special day in detail. Leslie wanted her wedding to be like the wedding of the main characters of the Twilight saga.
9. The wedding took place on November 21 at the Las Thomas Ranch in Orange County. There were chocolate–covered strawberries and a photo booth - everything the bride wanted.
10. Leslie spent the eve of the ceremony in the hospital – she had to have another blood transfusion to make the bride feel good.
"Looking at how Leslie literally shone in front of the guests, greeted people with a smile, looked at her husband with sincere love – looking at all this, you don't even think about what kind of work it cost her," says Sara Pizzaruso.
11. "And looking at how Daniel takes care of her, helps her walk, holds her hands when they say vows, you understand that they are just made for each other."
12. The purpose of the Make a Wish Foundation is to fulfill the "real life" of the child, giving them and their families the opportunity to forget about doctors, hospitals and syringes. Both David and his team managed to do it.
Leslie, Daniel and their family had time to celebrate, laugh and dance– that is, to do something they hadn't even dreamed of in recent months.