Terminally ill woman was told her time was running out. Then, she married her fiancé in a dream wedding.

Texan resident Norina has found the love of her life in Ray Navarro and had always dreamt of getting married but her hopes were shattered when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. The duo has been dating for a while now. They wanted to start a new life together when Norina was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and their wedding plans were put on hold indefinitely. According to Insider, Ray wanted to stick by her side and be “more than just a boyfriend or fiancé.” Being aware of their unfortunate circumstances, the oncology team treating Norina informed them that their wedding plans needed to be advanced.

Despite receiving a piece of heartbreaking news from the oncologist which indicated that Norina has limited days to live, the couple held onto their faith and remained strong. According to WSAZ, Norina said, “I don't want to hear about statistics. I declare myself a miracle from God and will be that miracle." Norina was soon placed in the Intensive Care Unit as her condition worsened and following the suggestions of the doctors, Ray made up his mind to honor Norina’s wishes of getting married in a church.

On November 29, 2022, Ray visited Norina in the hospital and announced that “they’re getting married today.” The wedding preparations commenced in a rush as Ray managed to book florists, and a minister and bring along some of his family members to attend the ceremony which was about to take place in the Houston Memorial Hermann. The ICU also decorated Norina’s room and they checked whether Norina had the cognitive ability in order to agree to the marriage. They dressed the bride in a beautiful white gown. "It was phenomenal," Norina said, expressing her joy. "The love with which everybody did it really made it a happy day for us."

Despite struggling to say her vows, Norina was thrilled to become Ray’s wife. "Just the vow itself, the manner in which he says it and how we feel when we're actually saying those things and meaning them," she said, as per Kentucky News. The emotional moment of Ray and Norina exchanging their vows was also witnessed by the hospital staff who had stayed by their side and helped the couple in every way possible to arrange for the wedding.

Norina, who is a firm believer in God, described her wedding in the most wholesome manner and said, “It was a fairytale.” However, Norina was transferred to hospice care immediately after the wedding but defeating all the odds, the couple even made it back to their home as she called each day of her life nothing short of a miracle. "I am so happy to be married to her," Ray said. "We lay together, and we hold hands. We call each other 'hubby' and 'wifey.' It is new, but it was a long time coming." An unusual wedding like this proved that it’s important to choose joy and love even when one is surrounded by pain, grief, and uncertainty. "For something as precious as this to occur is really, really important," Norina added.