NORTHRIDGE, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS) – Weddings are usually all about the bride and groom, but one couple in California made a drastic change to make sure one of their beloved family members could attend the ceremony after he suffered a sudden medical emergency.
It’s a father’s honor to walk his daughter down the aisle, but that came close to not happening for Maricela Mercado when her father Salvador Rivera suffered a stroke.
Unable to attend the ceremony while hospitalized, Rivera still got to experience his daughter’s wedding when the couple decided to move it to him.
Mercado was wedded to her husband at the chapel at Dignity Health Medical Center in Northridge, where her father had been receiving care for weeks.
“He’s been such a hard worker. He’s been through so much. He seems invincible to me,” Mercado said. “I knew that it was very important that he be here, that my family was here.”
After her father experienced the stroke, Mercado and her groom Ralph Polk decided they didn’t want to waste any more time.
They moved the wedding date up from June of next year, changed the venue to that of the hospital and flew in together from San Antonio, Texas with the groom’s family to make sure they could all share in the moment together.
The couple’s actions have had a meaningful impact.
Rivera said he is very thankful to God for the family he has been given and seeing his daughter on her wedding day made him very proud.
Salvador remained in the hospital while the rest of the family attended the reception.
Although he will be receiving care a while longer, his family said they truly believe they will all be back together again soon.
“He is recovering slowly and we have faith that he will pull through and be back to his garden and his dog and Graciela and my mom,” Mercado said.
The bride and groom said they are thankful to the hospital and its staff for helping them orchestrate their wedding.
The hospital said it is a rare occurrence for its staff to host a wedding. Staff said the last time it happened was 15 years ago.
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