With her two oncologists by her side, the 70-year-old bride slowly stepped down the aisle to meet her groom.
Sheri Shaw-James met Bill James, her romantic partner, online sometime in 2020. Not long after becoming friends, they developed a strong bond with each other and began dating.
“I wasn’t necessarily looking for romance,” she explained. “But of all the gentlemen I’d met, Bill seemed like the one who would be my friend for the rest of my life. I always felt comfortable with him.”
However, this was where things began to go downhill. Sometime around February 2021, Shaw-James had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma–a rare type of rectal cancer. After her diagnosis, she tried to break up with her boyfriend She knew that “he really wanted to travel” and “didn’t want him to be stuck” dealing with her illness.
“I told her, ‘No, I’m not going anywhere,’” James responded. “I wanted to be there to support her through it, no matter how long it took.”
From there, James stuck by Shaw-James as she went through her treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Not only did her relationship with James strengthen, but her relationship with her doctors grew as well. After two months of treatment, love and care, Shaw-James was finally able to ring the hospital bell, celebrating her successful defeat of cancer.
At the beginning of 2023, James proposed, and they eventually started making wedding plans together. Shaw-James even asked her two cancer doctors to walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
“It took a lot to reach this moment, but I didn’t do it alone,” she said. “I’ll feel a special connection with the people who gave me a second chance for the rest of my life,” she said after she and her groom finally exchanged vows and rings, sealing their strong and everlasting love towards each other.
Sheri Shaw-James met Bill James, her romantic partner, online sometime in 2020. Not long after becoming friends, they developed a strong bond with each other and began dating.
“I wasn’t necessarily looking for romance,” she explained. “But of all the gentlemen I’d met, Bill seemed like the one who would be my friend for the rest of my life. I always felt comfortable with him.”
However, this was where things began to go downhill. Sometime around February 2021, Shaw-James had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma–a rare type of rectal cancer. After her diagnosis, she tried to break up with her boyfriend She knew that “he really wanted to travel” and “didn’t want him to be stuck” dealing with her illness.
“I told her, ‘No, I’m not going anywhere,’” James responded. “I wanted to be there to support her through it, no matter how long it took.”
From there, James stuck by Shaw-James as she went through her treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Not only did her relationship with James strengthen, but her relationship with her doctors grew as well. After two months of treatment, love and care, Shaw-James was finally able to ring the hospital bell, celebrating her successful defeat of cancer.
At the beginning of 2023, James proposed, and they eventually started making wedding plans together. Shaw-James even asked her two cancer doctors to walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
“It took a lot to reach this moment, but I didn’t do it alone,” she said. “I’ll feel a special connection with the people who gave me a second chance for the rest of my life,” she said after she and her groom finally exchanged vows and rings, sealing their strong and everlasting love towards each other.