Durban - Roy Eddles, 73, was devastated when doctors told him he was too ill to attend his youngest son, Gareth’s, wedding.
Eddles was admitted to Life Westville Hospital, Durban, two weeks ago when his chest started giving him trouble.
“When he was hospitalised, he was determined to get well so he could see my brother get married,” Eddles’s daughter, Debbie Baker, said.
“As the days passed, he became anxious about the wedding. The doctors and nurses tried their best, but on Friday it was obvious he was not well enough to attend.”
Eddles’s family could not bear the thought of letting him down so instead of taking him to the wedding, they brought the wedding to him.
Early on Saturday morning, Baker went to the hospital and helped dress her father in the suit he had planned to wear to the wedding. She brought along a tablet computer and on it, Eddles was able to watch Gareth wed his sweetheart, Candice, at the St Augustine’s Anglican Church, in Queensburgh.
“He saw the entire ceremony, even my granddaughter singing,” said his wife, Elizabeth.
Afterwards, the bridal party made special arrangements to visit Eddles in hospital, where they had a photo shoot and brought him plates of food from the reception, which was held at the Tropicana Hotel.
“Candice walked in and the first thing she said was ‘Hello, Dad’. Roy was just so thrilled. She’s such a nice girl, we really love her, and that was all he wanted to hear,” said Elizabeth.
He also said he had enjoyed the roast lamb. “It made a nice change from the hospital food,” Elizabeth quipped.
On Monday night, Eddles died.
“Our dad was ill for a long time. He could no longer walk and was confined to a wheelchair,” Baker said. “But he loved a good party and he was so proud of all his children. Getting to see his excitement at watching his son get married and seeing them all dressed up really made it all worthwhile.”
She and her family thanked staff at the hospital and the hotel and said none of it would have been possible without their assistance.
Daily News