New York

Hospital Throws Surprise Wedding for Boy's Parents Missing Their Date

When Elias Castellon and Yolanda Maradiaga set their wedding date, they never could have imagined they'd be spending the happiest day of their life inside a hospital. 

But only a month before the wedding, Elias and Yolanda's son, Alexis, 14, fell gravely ill with a lung bleed.

Alexis has had cystic fibrosis since he was a baby, he is also on the transplant list waiting for a liver. When he arrived at Miami's Holtz Children Hospital back in October, Alexis slipped into a coma that lasted for three weeks.

"When Alexis came into the hospital, we didn't think he would make it," said Maradiaga, Alexis' mother. "They told us to say our goodbyes."

Despite the fact that all the wedding expenses had been paid and family was flying in from both sides of the country, Alexis' parents chose to postpone the ceremony.

"Alexis tells me how he dreams of walking me down the aisle and marry his dad," Maradiaga continued. "We tried to see if he could leave the hospital for a day, but his doctor told us the risk was too high."

Instead of letting Alexis miss the wedding or letting his parents miss their November 14th date, the staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital transformed a conference room into a wedding chapel. 

Alexis' dream of being at his parent's wedding came true, and it was all a surprise to him. 

"We plan to surpise Alexis on Saturday," his mother said before the wedding. "He has no idea the wedding is still on."

The priest from the family's church in Boynton Beach officiated the ceremony at the hospital. Castellon and Maradiaga's family from New York and Los Angeles was able to attend.

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