Surprise Mock Wedding for Dying Dad and His Daughter

A surprise mock wedding gave a California dad with pancreatic cancer a father-daughter moment he was unlikely to see otherwise.

Jim Zetz, 62, and his daughter Josie, 11, took part in the ceremony on March 14, 2014, Josie’s 11th birthday, in the family’s backyard in Murrieta. NBC 7 San Diego reported that the day included a pastor, flowers and gifts.

Photographer Lindsay Villatoro of Love Song Photography arranged the surprise, and the mock ceremony ended with the two being pronounced “daddy and daughter,” ABC News reported.

“We didn’t really know what was going to happen –- she put it all together in 72 hours,” Jim’s wife, Grace Zetz, said.

Villatoro said the event gave Jim a chance to celebrate a milestone he would likely miss as his cancer progressed: Josie’s future wedding.

Donations covered Jim’s suit, Josie’s white gown, a wedding cake, catering and flowers. Grace called the whole thing a “beautiful” surprise.

A family racing the clock

Jim was diagnosed in October 2013. Grace said doctors called the cancer “fast-growing” and told the family it was “too late to do anything.”

Jim stopped chemotherapy, and the family set a goal to do something together every week, Grace said.

She said Josie understood how serious her father’s condition was, and that it was hard on everyone.

“The therapists recommend we use big words and make her understand that none of this is her fault,” Grace said.

“This is life and death and Jim has gotten a lot sicker over the past few weeks. She knows she has to be patient and it hurts,” she added.

Jim said he hoped the day would stay with his daughter. “Down the road, this will mean a lot to her,” he said. “She will always remember it.”

Villatoro captured the ceremony on video, which NBC 7 reported had been seen tens of thousands of times on YouTube.

PetaPixel reported that Josie said afterward, “This is the best day of my life.” The outlet also reported that Villatoro, a wedding and portrait photographer, volunteers her services for terminally ill patients and their families.