A woman who offered her boyfriend an ‘out’ when she was diagnosed with breast cancer has said ‘I do’ to her devoted partner two years after he vowed to never leave her side.
Jillian Hanson, 27, from New Jersey, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in July 2017. She was only 25 at the time, and she worried her treatment would be too much for her boyfriend Max Allegretti, 27, to handle.
‘I brought it to the table and told him this was going to be a lot,’ Jillian told Good Morning America of speaking with Max about her diagnosis, but he never wavered in his devotion to her.
Special moment: Jillian Hanson, 27, from New Jersey, wed her fiancé Max Allegretti, 27, on Friday, October 18, two years after was diagnosed with breast cancer
True love: Jillian initially offered Max and ‘out’ when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in July 2017, but he vowed to never leave her side
When Jillian started chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Middletown, New Jersey, in October 2017, he dropped everything to be by her side.
The two met in college and developed a close friendship, but it wasn’t until after they reconnected after graduation that they fell in love.
Max told GMA that he did his best to ‘normalize the situation’ by planning movie dates and other things they could do together when she was feeling up to it.
Over the course of five months, she underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy.
He’s the one! The two met in college and developed a close friendship, but it wasn’t until after they reconnected after graduation that they fell in love
Cancer battle: Starting in October 2017, Jillian underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy over the course of five months
‘They tell you how sick you get during treatment, but no one can really prepare you for any of this. He took care of me every day and reminded me how beautiful I was — even as my hair thinned and fell out, and my skin turned white as a ghost,’ she wrote in a personal essay about their relationship and her breast cancer battle.
On her last day of chemotherapy on February 28, 2018, Max surprised her with a romantic proposal, something he said he had been thinking about for a long time.
‘I spoke with her family and friends, and we all decided it would bring a lot more joy even to the special day it was going to be already,’ he explained.
Jillian was under the impression she was taking photos in celebration of her last day of chemo when Sloan Kettering’s media department filmed the heartwarming moment Max got down on one knee and presented her with a ring.
Unforgettable day: On her last day of chemotherapy on February 28, 2018, Max surprised her with a romantic proposal
Happy: Jillian said getting engaged ‘brought a great light’ to her ‘after a really dark spot’
Inspired: Lauren Grech, the founder of the wedding planning company LLG Events, planned their big day and helped them get free services from wedding vendors
She was so shocked that she could barely speak. When she finally said ‘yes’ everyone in the room cheered.
Jillian told GMA she didn’t expect the proposal, saying: ‘That was the ultimate high — getting engaged brought great light to me after a really dark spot.’
Although her chemotherapy had ended, she still had to undergo other treatments and therapies. Understandably, wedding planning was the last thing on her mind, but fate had other plans.
The couple met Lauren Grech, the founder of the wedding planning company LLG Events, at a fundraiser for the nonprofit Breasties last year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Amazing: The wedding planner even managed to get Jillian’s Kenneth Winston bridal gown donated ahead of her big day
Major milestone: The couple exchanged vows in front of their family and friends last Friday
![Happy ending: '[This wedding] is celebrating everything — marriage, life, love, everything,' Jillian said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/10/22/22/20057604-7602057-image-a-59_1571781473074.jpg)
Happy ending: ‘[This wedding] is celebrating everything — marriage, life, love, everything,’ Jillian said
Lauren was so moved by their story that she decided to use her talents to plan them the wedding of their dreams.
She approached a variety of wedding vendors about getting free services for the couple, including The Sterling Ballroom to host the ceremony, Susan Shek Photography to take the wedding photos, Palermo’s to bake their cake.
The wedding planner even managed to get Jillian’s Kenneth Winston bridal gown donated ahead of her big day.
Two years after she started chemotherapy, the couple tied the knot last Friday in front of their family and friends.
‘It’s been such a long and painful road, and there have been so many people there for us,’ she said. ‘[This wedding] is celebrating everything — marriage, life, love, everything.’