A toddler afflicted with a rare disease to which doctors expect him to succumb any day now will be the best man when his parents marry this weekend. According to the Associated Press:
Sean Stevenson and Christine Swidorsky, of Jeannette, Pa., had planned to wed next year but decided to move the ceremony up to Saturday so their son, Logan, who has leukemia and other complications, could participate….
Logan has Fanconi anemia, a rare disease that often causes cancer. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at 14 months old and had a stem cell transplant a year ago. He lost one kidney to a tumor in March and now has a mass on his other kidney.
Swidorsky told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where the story was first reported, “We want Logan in our family pictures, and we want him to see his mother and dad get married.” Her 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Isabella Johns, will be a bridesmaid, and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, Savannah, will serve as flower girl.
Last week, Swidorsky and Stevenson learned that Logan had only two to three weeks more to live. They immediately swung into overdrive, planning their nuptials on a shoestring, with an assist from family and friends eager to pitch in with the planning. The couple expects about 100 people to attend the wedding.
Stevenson, choking back tears, said:
It’ll be the hardest thing I’ll ever do, is bury my son. You know it’s coming, and you can’t do anything about it.
I just am thankful that I am able to bring my son home and have time with him and hold him before he goes. So, in that sense, I feel lucky that I at least get to say goodbye to my son … and tell him it’s going to be OK.
Swidorsky said she has learned a lot from Logan.
He’s made me a better person. He’s just an angel from heaven, and I’m going to miss him.
