GIRL, 10, WITH LEUKEMIA GOT HER WEDDING WISH BEFORE DYING
A 10-year-old North Carolina girl with leukemia got the wedding she had wanted, 12 days before she died. Her name was Emma Edwards.
Emma Brooks Edwards, 10, of Walnut Cove, “married” Daniel Marshall Christopher “DJ” Williams Jr. in a mock ceremony on June 29, 2023, the Times of India reported. It was meant to fulfill her wish rather than serve as a legal marriage.
Disneyland was not what she had in mind. Tyla quoted Alina Edwards as saying, “Most kids want to go to Disneyland but Emma wanted to get married, be a wife and have three kids.”
A wedding put together in a rush
Emma was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after a fall led her family to take her to the hospital, where medics found cancer in the bones in her legs, NDTV reported. The outlet described the disease as a cancer affecting blood and bone marrow.
Her family was then told the cancer was incurable and she had only a few days to live.
Emma and DJ had already tried to hold a wedding at their elementary school, but a teacher did not allow it, the New York Post reported.
So their families stepped in and arranged a mock ceremony of their own.
“It had to happen super fast. We threw it together in less than two days; everything ended up being donated,” Alina Edwards said.
The ceremony was a garden event with about 100 guests.
Emma’s father, Aaron, walked her down the aisle. A friend officiated, another friend read a Bible verse and Emma’s best friend served as maid of honor.
Emma’s parents said they were grateful they could help her achieve her dream before she died.
What happened next
Hayworth-Miller Funeral Homes & Crematory listed Emma’s interests in her obituary as arts and crafts, practical jokes, family and friends, and Jesus.
The obituary named DJ Williams among her survivors and called him her “husband.” It also announced a celebration of life and visitation for July 16, 2023, at Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel.
Emma died on July 11, 2023, 12 days after the wedding.
