A scary diagnosis that could have weighed down a Bay area couple's engagement bliss transformed it into a day full of love.
- Bay area couple fast tracks wedding after cancer diagnosis
- Ena Ballanger was diagnosed with lung cancer last week
- Steve Ballanger and Ena Ballanger tied the knot at Moffitt
A Tampa woman was recently diagnosed with cancer, but she and her fiancé did not let that stop them from letting their love flourish. What was supposed to be a spring wedding turned into an impromptu winter wedding.
Steve Ballanger and Ena Ballanger met two years ago and say it was love at first sight. They both remember fondly the day they met at Ft. Desoto Beach.
"Fell in love with her the first time I met her. I got third-degree sunburn," Steve said.
From there, their love grew and after recently buying a home together, Steve surprised Ena with a ring.
Ena and Steve originally wanted a spring wedding, but their plans changed last week after she was diagnosed with lung cancer.
"We plan to live into our 90's together, which we will, and on Friday it was such a horrible scare that we weren't going to," Ena said.
Ena said she thought she had double pneumonia. However, when it got worse, and she was barely able to breath and unable to speak, the doctors admitted her to the ICU and discovered she had cancer.
That is when the couple decided not to wait to tie the knot.
"We just felt it was important. Friday night was really bad, and we felt like, we wanted to do it," Ena said.
And not to waste another day, the couple decided to hold the ceremony in the place that has become Ena's home away from home — the hospital.
The staff at Moffitt Cancer Center was able to quickly put together an impromptu ceremony.
Steve said, "Our priest was on speed dial, he immediately came up. Hillsborough County fast tracked the marriage certificate, I guess there's a three day waiting period, and they did it all the same day, and they prettied her up in the SCU and we did a quick little marriage."
Steve and Ena said regardless of their current circumstances, they plan to make the most out of each and every day as mister and misses.
"Every single day is great with her," Steve said.
Ena's doctors are still working on a full prognosis. So far, she has had one round of chemo and will undergo another in a few weeks.
The couple still plans to have the wedding they originally planned in April.