Sandra Orellana says Friday was a gift from God. It was her wedding day.
It hasn't been an easy road to the alter for Orellana and her longtime love, and the day was bittersweet when it finally arrived.
The 24-year-old bride fell in love eight years ago, with another Salvardoran, Andres Rendon, and together they had two little girls. They made plans to marry. Then last summer the couple was in a car accident.
During treatment for a spinal cord injury sustained during that car accident, Orellana found out she had stomach cancer.
She chose not to continue chemotherapy recently, after she lost the strength to hold and carry her two daughters. Doctors gave her six months to live.
"With the doctor, they decided treatment would stop. She wanted quality of life over quantity of life," said Angela Acevedo Malouf, with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange.
Her husband said Friday that he supports her decision completely.
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"God has the final word in healing. I will take care of her at home," Rendon said through an interpreter.
Without treatment, they're giving it all they've got.
As they celebrated their wedding, they were surrounded by nurses and by cancer patients who donated everything from flowers to photos.
"I feel very good," Orellana said through an interpreter. "It is my best day, my happiest day."
The pair exchanged vows outside St. Joseph's Hospital.
A spanish cancer support group, "Entre Amigos," made this day a reality - a day filled with memories for the new Mr. & Mrs. Rendon that will never be taken away.
For now, they head to Disneyland for the next three days with their daughters on their honeymoon.
For more information about the Dream Foundation, which donated that honeymoon for the couple, you can visit the website here.
