When a Michigan woman realized her father was too ill to attend her wedding, she brought the ceremony to his Alzheimer’s center, reported The Toledo Blade.
The former Miriam Reeves, 31, and her fiancé, Mark Davis, originally planned to have a traditional wedding ceremony until Reeves realized her father, Bernard Reeves, wouldn’t be able to attend. Bernard was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2006 and moved to a care facility about two years ago when his symptoms worsened.
The couple moved their wedding to the Foundation Park Alzheimer’s Care Center in Toledo, Ohio on August 16.
“My dad has been my hero my entire life and I know that if he was well, he would be at my wedding front and center. And I thought, ‘Why not move it there and it would be more of a special event,’ ” Miriam said.
In front of 30 guests, Bernard walked his daughter down the aisle. The Vietnam War vet was most recently a pastor at the New Creation Church in Detroit.
“He still knows who we are, but he doesn’t say much and he can’t care for himself. I feel like a part of him will know what’s going on,” Miriam said.
Miriam and Bernard have a close relationship, made even stronger after his diagnosis. She was the last of his six children to marry; he and his wife have 10 grandchildren.
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