A Kansas community came together to help a woman fulfill her dream wedding after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Esther Furches of Cheney, Kansas, told "Good Morning America" that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer shortly after giving birth to her second child, Liberty. Her OB-GYN, also her neighbor, noticed something unusual during her cesarean section, leading to tests that revealed a three-centimeter tumor.
Couple celebrate wedding 3 years after bride's life-threatening illnessWhen she underwent a radical hysterectomy in November 2024, doctors found no signs of cancer.
However, in December, after falling severely ill, the mother of two was hospitalized. Further tests and imaging revealed multiple tumors in her brain, including a lime-sized one in her cerebellum, as well as tumors in her lungs and liver. Some tumors had grown so large she could physically feel them.
"It feels like I'm pressing on a rock that's in my stomach," she recalled. "And then they said it's pretty much, it's spread everywhere."
To help Esther Furches fulfill her final wishes, her father-in-law, Mike Furches, launched a GoFundMe campaign.
The funds aimed to support her dream wedding, travel aspirations, medical expenses and her husband Nathan's ability to spend as much time with her as possible. Donations were also allocated for their two children's education.
As of Sunday, the fundraiser had accumulated nearly $22,000.
With the overwhelming support of donors and volunteers, Esther and Nathan Furches — who had been together for seven years and share two children — were able to hold their wedding on March 8.
"Everybody's donations paid to have that wedding happen, other than the people that donated their time, and because the DJ donated her time, the white barn donated their time. My nails were donated. My eyelashes were donated," Esther Furches said. "Literally everything that that wedding was and also carried into the reception that we had, everything was donated. Literally everything, because people just wanted to help."
Esther Furches told "GMA" that despite planning the wedding in just one week, 222 guests attended.
"Everybody who I invited were people from the community, and then people who have influenced me in my life, growing up, have always been there for me," she shared. "And my thought process was, 'I want to be able to see everybody that I can see that has affected my life somehow, in some way, even if it was just like the smallest littlest thing.'"
"It's been incredible. I didn't expect any of this to happen," she added.
Although facing a devastating diagnosis, she remains hopeful.
"I feel confident that I can beat this because of the support that has just overwhelmed us with everything," she said. "I want to see my daughter walk down the aisle. I want to see my son walk down the aisle. I want to see them have babies, that's my goal."
With wisdom drawn from her journey, Esther Furches stresses the importance of cherishing every moment with loved ones.
"Spend as much time as you can with your family while you can, because you don't know how much time you have left on this earth," she said. "So make it count, make it matter, be there, be kind [and] show up."
