Daughter Records Faux Wedding Dance With Dying Dad

Many little girls dream about their wedding day and dancing with their dad, but what if you knew in advance that your dad wouldn’t be around for your wedding day? When 25-year-old Rachel Wolf’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, Rachel decided to plan a faux wedding to make sure she and her dad would still get to experience their special dance. Though Rachel doesn’t yet have plans to marry, she sent her dad an invitation requesting his presence for their father-daughter dance. She explains how much it meant to her: “I always told him I would have a religious wedding, but I never told him how important it was [the dance] because I thought he was going to be around for a lot longer. You don’t think about these things until they are too late.” Rachel’s father happens to be a doctor in Auburn, California who has helped make a positive difference in countless people's lives. People in his community felt compelled to show their support for him by donating items to make the event possible and attending the event itself to say goodbye. Matt Wescott, who photographed the faux wedding, shares, “I was very happy to help out someone in the community who had been there for everybody else." Rachel says she won’t watch the video until her real wedding day. She encourages other women to videotape their father-daughter dances too, since life can change at any moment.

ABC News, 7/24/13