Children help their mom with ALS realize her dream: "I really wanted to dance with my son at his wedding"
In an emotional moment captured on video, a mother who lost the ability to walk after being diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) was able to dance with her son on his wedding day with the help of her siblings. Zak Poirier and his mother, Kathy Poirier, went viral on the internet after the son shared a video of the heartwarming moment on Instagram.
In the caption, Zak said his mother was diagnosed with ALS shortly before he graduated from law school. Now, marking another big milestone in his life, the son made sure his mom's ALS didn't not affect his wedding ceremony.
via DailyMail
"Despite not being able to stand up on her own, my mom and I danced together at my wedding. She inspires me every day to be humble, kind and selfless," Zak wrote in the post's caption. Zak, with the help of his two brothers, helped his mother move to the center of the dance floor, before lifting her up into his arms.
The pair danced slowly to Tim McGraw's "Humble and Kind" song. The moment between the two was celebrated online, and internet users have expressed their delight at seeing the video. One user wrote: "The way you look at her, talk to her and hold her is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen." Another added, "This made me cry. Your mother is lucky to have children like you and you are all very, very, very lucky to have an amazing, strong and beautiful mother like her."
Nick and Jake, Zak's younger brothers, helped their mother get back on her feet and offered their support so that she could dance with her eldest son at his wedding. Speaking to the media, Zak said he and his mother danced in front of a crowd of about 130 guests at the Ever After Farms Blueberry Wedding Barns in Florida. "We had it all planned. But the actual dance was spontaneous," said the 28-year-old. "We were both quite determined to share a dance, no matter how hard it would be. We weren't sure how it would work, but it went great and it was great," he added.
His mother, on the other hand, said she felt honored that her son wanted to dance with her at his wedding, but she also added that she was nervous before dance. "I wasn't nervous about dancing with my son or about my other two children holding me up and helping me to walk. That wasn't what worried me. But this was a milestone in the life of one of my children and I didn't want to ruin it," she explained.
"It was really intimidating to have to accept that I can't stand or use my hands and that people would be looking at me. I felt like they were judging me. But I knew I wanted to do this and I would not let anyone tell me I shouldn't or couldn't,” Kathy added.
When mother and son finished their dance, they received a standing ovation from their guests. Speaking to the media, the couple said they were delighted to have been able to partake in an age-old wedding tradition.
