Couple marries after groom receives terminal cancer diagnosis
High school sweethearts Isabella Cristobal, 20, and Sergio Soto, 20, just tied the knot after Soto received a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Cristobal and Soto met at a friend's quinceanera when they were both 15 years old and attending the same high school in San Francisco.
That same year, Soto started showing symptoms and was diagnosed with a form of preleukemia called myelodysplastic syndrome.
According to the National Cancer Institute, "Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature or become healthy blood cells."
"I didn't see a sick person, I saw a very positive and confident man that kept moving forward despite the pains, despite the cancer. He changed my perspective on life," Cristobal said in an interview with "Good Morning America."
Cristobal has been by Soto's side through relapses, bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy treatments.
Just a few weeks ago, the couple found out Soto's leukemia had spread and he was given a terminal diagnosis.
Despite already feeling like a married couple, Cristobal said she wanted to have a wedding to celebrate the couple's love.
"We really wanted to have a wedding ceremony, because that was the first time our family and friends came together to witness our love and life together," she said.
The pair exchanged emotional vows in an intimate ceremony on Sept. 7.
"I love you so much and I hope we can spend our life together for as long as we can," Soto said at the ceremony.
Cristobal said the couple has been able to do things they always wanted to do, like go on dates, thanks to the nonprofit Family House at Mission Bay, which provides comfort to those with life-threatening illnesses.
"Just because you have a life-threatening illness doesn't mean you can't do the things you want," Cristobal said.
The couple has also been sharing their journey on social media to remind others to take things one day at a time.
"We hope that people who are going through the same or similar situation see our story and get the reassurance and hope they need. That they're not alone," Cristobal said.
