Cancer patient who was wed in Piedmont Columbus Regional hospital has died
A 25-year-old terminally ill cancer patient died Tuesday just weeks after staff at Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown Campus helped throw him a wedding.
Alex and Heather Ramirez Santos were married on July 19 after the couple asked a patient experience representative if it would be possible to have a wedding in the hospital. Alex was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November of last year, and the cancer spread to his brain.
The couple married in his hospital room with immediate family members, including their 2-year-old son named Noah, in attendance.
Alex died at 3:13 a.m. on August 8 after spending the last couple of weeks in hospice care, Heather told the Ledger-Enquirer in a statement.
Going forward, Heather wants to continue providing support for Alex’s mother, Bernice Gonzalez.
“The one thing he loved other than his wife and son was his mom,” Heather said. “This is my message to her: I love you, Mom. We will get through this pain together.”
He was surrounded by family when he passed, she said, and Heather believes Noah’s presence will help the family in their healing process.
“I believe God sent him to us for this reason,” Heather said in the statement. “He knew we’d need him. We all love you, Alex, and we will miss you forever.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 1:50 PM.
