A man with terminal cancer has fulfilled his last dream by marrying his sweetheart with a famous boxing idol as his witness shortly before he died.
Dennis, 36, and Nicole, 33, exchanged their vows in an emotional wedding ceremony at the palliative care ward of the University Hospital of Leipzig in Germany.
Dennis was suffering from incurable stomach cancer and his last wish was to marry his sweetheart.
He said: “The diagnosis last year in August was a big slap in the face – but yet still everything was perfect.
“I had found my dream wife, [my daughter] Sarah was born and [my other daughter] Sophie was on her way as well.”
Besides marrying Nicole, his girlfriend for many years, Dennis also had the wish to meet his idol Axel Schulz in person.
Schulz, a 50-year-old former boxer who once won a bronze medal at the amateur world championship, did not hesitate to come when he was contacted by the NGO ‘SOS Leipzig’, an organisation which tries to fulfil the wishes of those who seriously suffer from their disease.
Schulz said: “Actually I only wanted to say a quick ‘hello’ but we got along so well that I stayed for four hours.”
When both men spoke about Dennis’ girlfriend Nicole, Schulz spontaneously offered to be the witness in their marriage ceremony.
Schulz, who is nicknamed ‘The Gentle Giant’ in Germany, even pushed Dennis around in a wheelchair after the wedding ceremony so he could talk to all his friends and family at the reception.
Last Saturday, Dennis, however, succumbed from his disease while his wife Nicole was at his side.
Nicole said: “Dennis still had a few beautiful days with his children and me at home. On Saturday he passed away very gently, holding my hand tightly right before it.”
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Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
