South Bay couple renews vows as wife continues to battle terminal lung cancer
SARATOGA, Calif. (KTVU) - Many married couples renew their vows at some point.
One South Bay couple did so Friday on their ten year anniversary.
KTVU first met the family four years ago, just after the wife and mother of three was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
She was told then she had just one year to live and she's been beating the odds ever since.
It was a step back in time for Fawn Lee and Rick Pham. They renewed their wedding vows in the same spot at Mountain Winery where they got married exactly ten years ago. "It makes me remember how complete you make me feel. I promise to grow old with you," said Pham to Lee during their vows.
The ceremony was the work of a group called Wish Upon a Wedding, which does this for free for terminally ill people. People like this picture perfect family.
Fawn Lee has terminal lung cancer. "I took care of preparing my own funeral," she said.
When KTVU met the family in 2011, then 35-year old Fawn had just learned she had one year to live. "At that time, I was shocked. I didn't think I would get lung cancer, because I never smoked," she said.
So, she was recording a video message for her three children, Ethan, Ellen and Emma that they could watch years later.
"I did everything I could to fight to be there for them," Fawn said to the camera that was recording her message.
But she's outlived her prognosis by three years. "And I'm so grateful for that. It's due to a great team of doctors," she says now, adding that experimental cancer treatments helped as well.
The whole family was at Mountain Winery for an event they had been planning all along. Of course, what happened four years ago added profound new meaning to their vows. "It's an amazing journey. And she's just like unbelievable," said Rick Pham about his wife.
Fawn says, "It's still in the back of my mind. But I don't let it lead my life. I don't let it stop me from doing what I want."
Pham's best man, Mciver Wicker says seeing the family flourish in the face of such adversity has been an inspiration. "I think it's good for them. I think it's good for Fawn. I think it's like a victory. You know, she's still here. And it just teaches you to fight, live life every day to its fullest."
The celebration culminated with a lion dance with a message of good luck. Something this family can use as Fawn Lee continues her fight for life.