Maire Taomia was diagnosed with gastric cancer and, as a dying wish, asked her father to give his blessing for the marriage. The Ashburton woman and Marouna Tunui, 23, were married in a bittersweet ceremony before 300 friends and family at St. Christopher's Church in Avonhead.
When the doctor told Taomia there was nothing more they could do, she told her father: "I want to get married." The young couple, who have been together for more than two years, have a one-year-old son, Detroit. The pair has lived in a single-bed room in Christchurch Hospital since November 2010. Rongo said his daughter was energetic and beautiful during the ceremony held in January 2011, but her illness was not forgotten.
CanTeen, the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Christchurch's Millennium Hotel covered the costs of a wedding cake, a wedding dress, a limousine, a photographer and a hotel room for the couple's honeymoon.
When the doctor told Taomia there was nothing more they could do, she told her father: "I want to get married." The young couple, who have been together for more than two years, have a one-year-old son, Detroit. The pair has lived in a single-bed room in Christchurch Hospital since November 2010. Rongo said his daughter was energetic and beautiful during the ceremony held in January 2011, but her illness was not forgotten.
CanTeen, the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Christchurch's Millennium Hotel covered the costs of a wedding cake, a wedding dress, a limousine, a photographer and a hotel room for the couple's honeymoon.
