Father Dying of ALS Given Week To Live, Final Wish To See 3 Daughters Get 'Married'
When I was a new husband and actually on my honeymoon, I received some of the worst news you could ever possibly get: My father had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
Now we all know that the world is full of awful afflictions, and cancer is among the worst. But for all the suffering my dad experienced, I’m truly glad he didn’t have ALS.
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS attacks certain nerve clusters in the brain and spinal column. The ALS Association states that the illness leads to gradual loss of motor control, meaning that “people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe.”
But that’s exactly the disease that Ridgefield, Washington, resident Akhil Jhaveri has had to fight. Jhaveri was diagnosed with ALS seven years ago.
The news hit as hard as a bombshell, flooring Jhaveri’s wife, Laura. The couple had met while she was seriously dating another man, and Jhaveri went above and beyond to win her heart.
“No other person will ever share as much of my life with me or grow with me like we did from our early 20s until today,” she told People magazine. “No other human will ever know me to that depth and have that level of intimacy with me.”
Seven years is a long time to battle any illness, and with ALS, every campaign ends quicker than a patient’s loved ones want. Just this month, Jhaveri learned that the end had almost arrived.
“We don’t really know (how long he has), but they’re saying it’s any day,” his 23-year-old daughter Corinne explained to KATU. Still, Jhaveri had one thing he wanted to do before he died.
Jhaveri had long since lost the ability to speak. Yet The Columbian reported that he communicated with his family by using a special computer.
Not long after receiving the awful news, Laura asked him why he still clung to life. Jhaveri spelled out a single word: “W-E-D-D-I-N-G.”
This devoted father wanted nothing more than to see his trio of girls walk down the aisle. There was only one problem.
None of girls were in marriageable relationships. Laura, though, decided to make it happen.
With the help of her friend Deanna Green, Laura had a mock wedding for her daughters ready in nine days. On July 30, Jhaveri got to see Jordan, Ashley, and Corinne bedecked in bridal finery.
He was able to share a dance with them while in his wheelchair. And Laura gave them relationship tips for when the big day finally arrived.
“I thought it was going to be weird, and no one was going to show up, and I thought it was going to be not super classy,” Jordan said. “But this is beautiful, and I’m impressed by all the people who showed up. It means a lot to our family.”
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