A terminally ill 5-year-old girl has crossed off “dream wedding” from the top of her bucket list after a touching ceremony with her best friend.
Brave Eileidh Paterson, who has the childhood cancer neuroblastoma, was joined by hundreds of well-wishers as she “married” Harrison Grier, 6, in a fairy tale-themed bash over the weekend.
His dad, Billy Grier, 31, said: “Harrison had never been to a wedding before, so this was all new to him.
“But it was a beautiful ceremony and he enjoyed every minute. He was quite excited to do it. Ever since he met Eileidh, they have been inseparable.
“I think he knew what was going on. He certainly knew how important it was to her and wanted to do whatever he could for her.”
Close friends and family gathered in a meeting room at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, as the children, both from Forres, a town in northern Scotland on the North Sea, held hands and exchanged necklaces.
A lone piper got the event under way and was followed to a makeshift altar by a procession of costumed superheroes and princesses.
Eileidh was walked into the room by her older brother Callum, to “When You Wish Upon a Star” from the Disney film “Pinocchio.”
Zara Grant, who runs children’s entertainment firm Love Rara, then read out a version of Eileidh’s life story written in the style of a fairy tale.
The story, penned by Eileidh’s mom, Gail Paterson, called the neuroblastoma that has blighted her childhood an “evil beast.”
Gail described her daughter as “a princess who would stop at nothing to survive” while documenting her fight against the aggressive disease.
Eileidh’s sister Cerys then read a poem that ended with the words “even if we are apart, I will always be with you.”
And after they were officially declared “best friends forever,” Eileidh and Harrison entered the auditorium, where they celebrated with candy floss.
Gail explained that Eileidh was at a particularly low ebb Saturday after having blood transfusions, which raised concerns she might not be able to enjoy her big day.
She said: “She was just extremely drained, but she was like a different girl during the ceremony.
“The spectacle of it really perked her up, she was in her absolute element getting to play with other kids and have fun.
“These are going to be lasting memories.”
The proud mom raised more than $150,000 to send Eileidh to America for treatment in 2015, and has since campaigned to raise awareness of the realities of childhood cancer.
Source: nypost
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