Sick Dad Surprises Bride By Walking Her Down Aisle

This video from the Mayo Clinic will have you sobbing happy tears: It shows a sick dad walking his daughter down the aisle as a surprise on her wedding day. I’m not kidding, you’re gonna need tissues for this one. Andre Pearson, 61, has been at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, since March due to heart failure. His doctors deemed him too ill to travel to California for his daughter’s wedding, and he’d had to plan to simply watch the ceremony online. But when his health began to improve, his medical team reconsidered, and put a plan together that would allow him to go.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Pearson was very ill when he entered the clinic in March—so ill that his doctors expected him not to live far beyond a year. Battling both heart and kidney failure, he was too sick to be considered for a heart transplant, and attending a wedding on the other side of the country was definitely off the menu. However, after a successful surgery to repair Pearson’s heart valve and implant two assist devices, Pearson’s health improved significantly. In fact, the Mayo Clinic estimates that he may be able to return home to Omaha, NE, within the next month, and he "will be evaluated for a possible heart transplant."

Pearson travelled to Indio, CA, with a Mayo Clinic staff member in tow to surprise his daughter, Alexandra, the night before her wedding. The video shows him being wheeled into what appears to be a family event, and as soon as the door opens, everyone starts crying:

Seriously, tears everywhere. Including all over my face. Happily, the Mayo Clinic also released footage of the next day’s wedding ceremony and reception, which features more happy crying (of course), as well as some sweet dance moves.

Images: YouTube (5)