A Florida teenager with terminal cancer will be getting his dying wish to marry his high school sweetheart today.
Dustin Snyder, 19, of Valrico, Fla., has been battling cancer, synovial sarcoma, on and off since before he turned 18, ABC News reported.
The teen was told he was cancer-free following surgery and chemotherapy, but just 3 weeks ago he experienced pain and was rushed to the hospital where he was told that the cancer had returned.
Snyder was given just a few weeks to live.
“The only treatment for this is removal and they can’t remove this,” Cassandra Fondahn, Snyder’s mother, told FOX 13. “It’s been a rough road.”
His girlfriend, Sierra Siverio, who has stayed by his side through his sickness, plans to marry her boyfriend Sunday at Big Red Barn in Plant City.
“That means everything to me,” Siverio told FOX 13. “I’m going to be there for him no matter what and I’m really excited for this opportunity.”
“She was there with me since the beginning, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else,” Snyder told FOX 8.
The couple met in middle school but lost touch before reuniting in high school.
The community has come together to make sure that the wedding is as memorable as possible. Citizens have even donated everything from the rings to the wedding gown and venue.
LifePath Hospice is working to get the flowers and bridesmaids dresses, along with someone to provide drinks as well a bar service.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the couple’s wedding. As of Saturday morning, the campaign has raised over $19,500.
“I can’t believe the amount of people that have reached out to help,” Fondahn told FOX 8. “It’s a lot of good and compassionate people.”
Siverio said that she and Dustin would be together “no matter what, forever, in both of our hearts.”
