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With Just Days Left To Live, Terminally Ill Man Renews Vows with Wife in Emotional Ceremony

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To have and to hold. Until death do us part. These are common phrases we hear spoken during a wedding ceremony.

Sadly, they don’t always hold true. But for those couples who are able to make it last until the end, the sight is truly sweet.

For Tony and Christy Leonard of Fayetteville, North Carolina, the end will come far too soon as the couple may have mere days before Tony says goodbye for the last time.



In 2012, Tony was diagnosed with cancer. Years of battling the disease — and even beating it — have brought him to this point, according to ABC 11.

He’s been married to his wife Christy for twelve years. They’ve been through it all together. “I’m not ready to say goodbye,” Christy wrote on her blog, Death to Cancer, on Jan. 2.

“I now know we are looking at days,” she wrote. “…when you get to heaven, my love, save a place for me…”



The couple’s story is heartbreaking, and a life is ending too soon. But amidst the sadness, the couple found a way to celebrate the love they’ve shared all these years.

Brooke Tedder, Tony’s hospice nurse, helped make it all possible. “We lost our son to lung cancer eight years ago,” Tedder shared with ABC 11.

The compassionate nurse went on to say she was honored to pin a boutonniere onto Tony, since she would never get the chance to do so with her own son.

With tears in their eyes, the Leonards — with their family and friends looking on — renewed their wedding vows just as they’d always hoped to do one day.



Though mostly bedridden, Tony stood for the emotional ceremony, holding Christy’s hands and kissing her tenderly.

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“How about cheers to eternity? You save me a place, you hear me?” Christy said, echoing the sentiment she wrote on her blog.



Wedding cake and photos followed. It will certainly be a day to remember. Christy expressed that Tony is the “love of her life.”



“For now, I will dry my eyes, go lay in his arms, and kiss him, tell him I love him… and enjoy it,” she wrote on her blog.

Our hearts ache for this couple and their family. Our prayers go up for them during this time. Their faith and love is inspiring to us all.

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Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.
Education
Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith




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