A teenager stricken with terminal cancer fulfilled his dying wish of marrying his high school sweetheart this past weekend.
Dustin Snyder, 19, wed his girlfriend Sierra Siverio in Plant City, Florida on Sunday after his supportive community rallied together to help organize their wedding in less than a week.
The bittersweet ceremony took place at The Big Red Barn just four days after the pair got engaged.
The teen, who has been battling cancer on and off for roughly a year, was given the heartbreaking news a few weeks back that there was nothing more doctors could do for him.
They say he has just weeks left to live.
Dustin Snyder, 19, wed his girlfriend Sierra Siverio in Plant City, Florida on Sunday after his community rallied together to help organize their wedding in less than a week
The bittersweet ceremony took place at The Big Red Barn just four days after the pair got engaged
The groom called the exciting day ‘the best most special day’ of his life ‘for sure’
For their honeymoon, they will celebrate further with a honeymoon at Disney World
A slew of family and friends gathered for the emotional ceremony where tears flowed
‘Appreciate the time you have… you don’t know how much time you have,’ the bride told ABC News.
The groom also said he feels ‘amazing’ and the dream wedding was ‘the best most special day’ of his life ‘for sure.’
The newlyweds will celebrate further with a honeymoon at Disney World followed by a getaway to Colorado next month.
The young couple, who have been dating for just over two years, decided last Monday that they wanted to get married sooner rather than later.
‘I’ll be forever grateful for this, it is going to be a blessing. I’m extremely excited,’ Sierra told DailyMail.com of their nuptials.
Despite the circumstances, Sierra remains optimistic about the time they have left and plans to make the most of being husband and wife.
Sierra said the pair first met back in the sixth grade when they attended the same middle school.
They reconnected several years later when she walked into their local Steak ‘n Shake to apply for a job and Dustin happened to be working there.
They’ve been together ever since and Sierra has been by Dustin’s side right throughout his battle with cancer.
Dustin was diagnosed with cancer on his 18th birthday. He has been battling the disease on and off for a year. He is pictured above early on in his diagnosis
Dustin, pictured left before his diagnosis and right earlier this month, has had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments over the past year
The pair first met in middle school but reconnected when they both started working at their local Steak ‘n Shake in Florida two years ago
Dustin was diagnosed on his 18th birthday when he started suffering from chest pains and was taken to the hospital.
‘The doctors said there was a mass on his lungs. They did a biopsy and figured out it was cancer,’ Sierra said.
‘They did chemo and it was working, but it was around the lung too much. They ended up removing his lung.’
He had surgery again in August to remove more tumors after the cancer returned to his stomach and chest area.
‘He was cancer free in November. But then he started not feeling well. He went back to the doctor and they found it all over his stomach and pelvis,’ Sierra said.
‘There’s too much so there’s no treatment.
The young couple, pictured above at their prom, decided last Monday that they wanted to get married sooner rather than later
Following the tragic news, the couple enlisted the help of their families to make Dustin’s final wish of marrying his soulmate a reality
The teen, who has been battling cancer on and off for roughly a year, was given the heartbreaking news just weeks ago that there was nothing more doctors could do for him
‘They said it’s going to be hard. Hospice is now in the picture. It could be weeks or even a month.’
Following the tragic news, the couple enlisted the help of their families to make Dustin’s final wish of marrying his soulmate a reality.
His sister Brittany Hails put a call out on Facebook to help spread the word and the result has overwhelmed them.
The wedding venue was donated free of charge and donations have helped buy a wedding dress, suit and rings.
The cake, photographer, food and decor was also been taken care of.
‘I’m very grateful for all they have donated. I love how the community has come together as a whole. I’m glad we still have good people in world,’ Sierra added.
The GoFundMe page set up for the couple’s wedding reached $39,567 of the $40,000 goal.