In final wish, terminally ill Georgia man gets to marry girlfriend with help of hospital staff

COLUMBUS, Ga. — For a Georgia couple, tying the knot was just a matter of time. But even on the happiest day of their life, the time they have is playing against them.

Alexander Santos started dating his now-wife Heather in high school. After being together for four years, they knew it was time to take the next step and get married.

“Life is short, and you don’t want to take it for granted,” Alexander told WTVM-TV.

He knows that now, more than ever. Alexander learned last fall that he had terminal cancer.

“I was officially diagnosed with the non-seminoma germ cell tumor on Nov. 23,” he told the TV station.

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Since then, he has been in and out of the hospital at Piedmont Columbus Regional.

Last weekend, Alexander approached one of the nurses there, saying he wanted to marry his girlfriend.

“It’s just like a bucket list, I’m not looking forward to a lot of time on the Earth so it’s just something I’ve always wanted, especially with the person I love,” Alexander said.

So, the oncology department at Piedmont Columbus got work organizing the wedding ceremony, getting a donated wedding cake from Publix and the stuff to throw a full-blown reception for the couple, right there at the hospital.

“For Piedmont, all we want to do is make every life special, so that even in their last moments they remember the good things not the bad,” the hospital told WTVM.

Doctors say Alexander could live another few months or several years.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for Alexander’s medical bill and hopefully a honeymoon for the couple.

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