Ailing father still manages to 'walk' his daughter down aisle on wedding day

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Saturday, August 18, 2018
Ailing father still manages to 'walk' daughter down aisle
Ailing Filipino father Pedro Villarin was determined to do whatever it took to walk his daughter Charlotte down the aisle on her wedding day, even if he had to do so in a stretcher.

MANILA, Philippines -- An ailing Filipino father was determined to be there for his daughter on her wedding day, even if it meant walking her down the aisle on a stretcher.

Charlotte Villarin told local media outlets that the family originally hoped her 65-year-old father Pedro would be able to walk her down the aisle from a wheelchair, but his battle with advanced liver cancer left him bedridden on her wedding day.

Forced to improvise, family members instead used the stretcher from the ambulance that brought Pedro to the venue to help him down the aisle.

"He really sacrificed because he felt [a lot of] pain in that moment. And we thank GOD for allowing that to happen," Charlotte Villarin told Coconuts Manila.

In photos from the wedding day, Charlotte is seen giving her father a kiss on the forehead when the ambulance arrived at the venue. Father and daughter later held hands on their emotional journey down the aisle, and Pedro Villarin watched the ceremony from his stretcher in the front of the venue.

"Mr. Pedro Villarin walked her daughter down the aisle like any father would have even if his current health makes this a difficult endeavor," wedding photographer Law Tapalla wrote on Facebook. "We have witnessed how in every difficult situation there will always be hope and happiness."

Charlotte Villarin posted on Facebook that her father passed away just days after the wedding.

"It was really painful but knowing that he left this world [after] fulfilling his dream [of walking me down the aisle], I'm happy already no matter what," she added.