When her wedding plans kept colliding with her father’s declining health, Courtney Coccaro changed the venue to the rooftop of Cleveland Clinic so he could be there.
Coccaro, of Stow, Ohio, said she has always been especially close with her dad, John, 55, who has advanced cancer.
“He was my soccer coach. He was always by my side. He taught me to hunt. He taught me to fish. He taught me to be strong. He was always there for me,” Courtney said, per a release from the Cleveland Clinic.
“So, having him walking me down the aisle was the most important thing in my life,” she added.
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Courtney had originally planned to marry her fiancé, Michael, on June 30. But a few weeks before the wedding, one of John’s doctors at Cleveland Clinic warned the family that he might not make it to that date due to a blood clot in his lungs, metastasized melanoma and several other health issues.
Courtney and Michael then moved the ceremony to May 10 in their hometown in Pennsylvania in the hope that John could still attend. But before that date arrived, John was hospitalized again at the Cleveland Clinic.
That led the couple to hold the ceremony on the hospital rooftop.
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“I wanted to make sure he was able to have the chance to be there,” Courtney said.
According to Courtney, members of the Cleveland Clinic’s Intensive Care team and staff from other departments helped organize the ceremony on short notice.
She said staff cleaned the rooftop area, decorated the space, arranged chairs, directed guests and found a private area where she could change into her wedding gown.
They also helped bring John upstairs in a wheelchair and stayed nearby to assist throughout the ceremony.
“It was so special and so sweet, and we really appreciate everyone’s help,” Courtney said. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Courtney said the family remains hopeful about her father’s condition.
“He continues to fight every day,” she said. “We are all keeping a positive mindset and staying strong as a family.”
John remains at the Cleveland Clinic as he continues treatment.
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