A dying woman has married her life-long partner at Logan Hospital after more than half a century of dating.
In a heart-warming ceremony, retired nurse Anne Becher, 86, married Per-Olof Nilsson last week after 52 years together.
And the decision to wed was made only 24 hours earlier.
Ms Becher has terminal cancer, and is living at the hospital’s palliative care unit.
One morning she told her doctor that she wished to marry Mr Nillson.
So hospital staff got to work.
In a small ceremony at the hospital the following day, Ms Becher and her new husband were joined by their daughter, Belice Pollas, who flew out from Copenhagen, Denmark to be there.
Ms Becher’s bridal gown was the dress she wore they day she first met Mr Nilsson.
Their honeymoon was a sleepover at the hospital, paired with a champagne breakfast organised by nursing staff.
Some staff came in on their day off to help with the arrangements, transforming the hospital’s a garden retreat and waterfall into a wedding venue with only 24 hours notice.
Ms Becher is blind, but that didn’t stop her from experiencing what the wedding,
Nurse unit manager Gillian Myles catered to her other senses by selecting bouqet flowers that had a strong scent and ensuring her favourite music was playing on the speaker.
Ms Myles said it was an incredible moment to witness.
“This is what we do it for,” she said.
Marriage celebrant Stig R. Hokanson officiated the wedding, which he said followed a record long engagement of 52 years.
As a long-time friend of the couple, Mr Hokanson said he checked in ‘about once every decade’ to see if the couple were ready to tie the knot yet.
The newlyweds met in Australia in 1973 after immigrating from Denmark and Sweden.
They said they had been meaning to get married for years, but never actually got around to it.
