Dad with terminal cancer renews vows surrounded by family. When he saw his daughter's outfit, he choked up

When Matt and Chrissy Stewart were both diagnosed with cancer, they weren’t sure they’d ever see their children’s weddings. So when they decided to renew their vows just before their 23rd anniversary in Kansas City, their 15-year-old daughter, Maddy, made sure the day was something none of them would forget. The moment was shared on Instagram by Logan Katherine Mitchell (@ribbonsandreels) and later covered in full by People. During the February 23 ceremony, Maddy walked out in Chrissy’s original wedding dress from 2002. Her father, standing on the dance floor, didn’t know what was coming.

The text in the Instagram post read, "Father shares special dance with his daughter during his vow renewal to his wife (her mother). And she had a special surprise for him..." Then, the video showed Maddy walking down the stairs. The caption continued, "Maddy in her mother’s wedding dress from over 20 years ago." Chrissy helped her daughter into the gown, placing a veil and her grandmother’s pearls on her head. Chrissy, a clinical dietician at a children’s hospital, had been working with pediatric cancer patients when she was diagnosed in 2021 with angiosarcoma. Doctors found a tumor the size of a watermelon. She began monthly chemotherapy and was given less than a five percent chance of staying cancer-free, reported People.

Matt, a longtime Emmy-winning news anchor, was diagnosed in July 2024 with colorectal cancer. After undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, additional tumors were discovered in his lungs. He continues to receive chemotherapy. He told People, "When I married Chrissy the first time, I said, 'Till death do us part.' But I was hoping that would be in our eighties, not in our forties." Matt initially joked when Chrissy brought up the idea. He told her, "Our marriage is really strong. Are you trying to tell me something?" But it was Maddy who convinced them that it was something their family needed. "This was our chance to have a wedding experience with our family, and especially with my daughter," Chrissy said. 

Matt said Maddy walking out in the wedding gown was the most emotional moment of the day. "Everyone was crying," he said. Chrissy agreed, saying, "It was my favorite part of the whole day, and it had nothing to do with me." In the video, while the father and daughter duo are dancing, Matt is seen saying, "I'm determined to be at your wedding." Viewers of the video could feel the emotions through the screen. @pgrentalsnc wrote, "This video gets pretty blurry when the daughter shows up…especially through my tears." @maddsss15 said, "Oh my god now she has a dance with her dad in a wedding dress just in case." @veil_events commented, "So many emotions in this special moment! Beautifully done!" @kulandkrafty wrote, "Absolutely beautiful. This was such a special moment!" 

Chrissy said that despite everything, their children–Jackson, 20, Alex, 18, and Maddy, 15—see how they’re still living and still fighting. Matt added, "When people want to help, when they want to give you something, the best thing you can do is say yes." And Chrissy, reflecting on their partnership, said, "He makes me feel so very seen and loved, so I can be my true self."

You can follow Logan Katherine Mitchell (@ribbonsandreels) for more wedding content.