In Jeannette, Pennsylvania, Christine Swidorsky and Sean Stevenson got married in a short backyard ceremony.  Surrounded by family and friends, the couple had their children participate in the ceremony.  The bride’s thirteen-year-old daughter was a bridesmaid and the couple’s one-year-old daughter was the flower girl.  The choice of best man, however, was a heartbreaking one.  Carried down the aisle by the bride, the best man was the couple’s two-year-old son, Logan Stevenson, who doctors say only has a few weeks to live, The Associated Press reports.

Logan was born October 22, 2010.  Logan suffered from Fanconi anemia, a disease that often leads to the development of cancer.  Fanconia anemia is a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome.  In addition to cancer, Fanconi anemia manifests in birth defects.  Of those with Fanconi anemia, 75 percent have birth defects.  Fanconi anemia can also result in liver tumors, myelodysplastic syndrome, hemorrhages, and infections.

Shortly after Logan’s first birthday, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.  Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells that specifically results in an overproduction of a type of white blood cell known as a myeloblast.  It is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults.  For children, acute myeloid leukemia accounts for 20 percent of leukemia diagnoses and 500 children are diagnosed with it every year.  Normally, it has a relatively high survival rate in children, with 70 percent of children achieving long-term remission.

In July 2012, Logan underwent a stem cell transplant.  One of his kidneys was completely damaged by a tumor and, last March, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor.  In June, his family was on a trip to Disney World when Logan fell ill.  He was hospitalized in Florida before his family was able to take him back to Pittsburgh.  Last month, Logan had to go to the emergency room, where doctors performed tests that discovered his remaining kidney had a mass.  The doctors told his family that Logan only had two to three weeks to live.

The couple had originally planned on getting married in July 2014.  After hearing Logan’s terminal prognosis, they hastily planned the backyard ceremony.  The couple wanted Logan to see his parents get married, be a part of the ceremony, and be in the family pictures for the wedding.  The bride had already lost her mother six years ago and her father two months ago.  So, in a chaotic week, they put together this ceremony and were walking down the aisle.  They celebrated Logan’s life with a ceremony formalizing their love and union.