Man with Terminal Diagnosis Gets Married in the Hospital. Weeks Later It Was Time to Say Goodbye (Exclusive)
“As much time as I have left, I want to spend it with April,” Stephen Ruma told PEOPLE the day before he died
After overhearing a patient with a terminal diagnosis talking about his dream wedding, the staff at Massachusetts’s General hospital decorated Stephen Ruma’s room so he could marry his fiancé, April Rae, on Sept. 2.
“As much time as I have left, I want to spend it with April,” Stephen told PEOPLE on Sept. 26, one day before his death at the age of 70.
Despite the heartbreaking circumstances during his 42-day hospital stay, “I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful wedding,” said April, 60, during their interview together. “He’s my best friend. He’s my travel partner. He’s my business partner. He’s everything.”
In September, doctors told Stephen — who had survived three heart attacks since March — that there was nothing more they could do. They offered to turn off the machines so he could gently say goodbye. But Stephen told the doctors he wasn’t ready — and he wanted to spend every moment he possibly could with April.
The couple opened up about their “rare” and “very special” love story, hoping to inspire others to make every moment with their loved one count.
“I hope people can find the love that we have and hold onto each other real tight,” said April.
April and Stephen met in September 2018 when she became a home healthcare aide to his now-102-year-old mother.
At the time, Stephen was divorced, while April was separated from her husband of 30 years. He thanked her for taking such good care of his mother, and soon he hired her to work weekends too.
“Steve and I became best friends,” April added. “It started to become more, because we loved his mom. And one day, he kissed me.”
As for their connection, it wasn’t just one thing that drew Stephen in. “I love everything about her,” he said.
They started talking about getting married from the very beginning.
“Steve and I fell really hard, real fast,” April said. “We just knew.”
The pair initially planned to get married in May 2024 on a beach in Maine. However, they kept pushing off wedding plans because of Stephen’s health.
In 2019, Stephen — who had type 2 diabetes and was on dialysis — was diagnosed with kidney cancer, which eventually metastasized to his lungs and lymph nodes. Then in March he had his first heart attack.
Still, happy news came in June 2023, when Stephen’s doctor said his cancer was in remission.
“We were just head over heels happy — we were ready to pop the champagne,” April said, sharing that they told family and friends at his 70th birthday that month. “He was feeling great.”
They even went on a vacation together in Myrtle Beach to celebrate their anniversary. “We had a wonderful time,” April remembers. “We were so happy.”
But a couple weeks later, he had a second heart attack. Despite him being cautious — including eating heart-healthy foods — on Aug. 13, he had a third heart attack.
“I was very very weak. I had a pain on my left side. My left arm was tingly and numb,” he remembered.
As his health declined, April rushed him to the emergency room on Aug. 15.
“The doctors could not believe how bad his blood work was,” April remembered. “His organs were all shutting down.”
But Steve wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“He goes, ‘No, I’m going to continue to fight,’” April remembered.
“I don’t want to give up,” Stephen said. “I want to keep going as long as I can.”
In late August, when the doctors said there was nothing more they could do, a nurse overheard the couple talking about getting married. “’Why wait until next year? Why not go to city hall?’” April suggested.
But Steve said he wanted a beautiful wedding on the beach.
“A nurse said, ‘We can make that happen here. We can help you do it here,'” April remembered.
So on Sept. 2, the nursing staff decorated Stephen’s hospital room with an ocean painting backdrop and beach balls. As another special touch, the couple got to enjoy their favorite limoncello cake.
It meant “everything” to be married to April, Stephen told PEOPLE.
Less than four weeks later, doctors told April to call their family and have them come say goodbye.
As April laid next to Stephen in his hospital bed, she played all their favorite songs they used to dance to, from “Fly Me to the Moon” to their wedding song, “Come Away with Me.”
His last words were, “I love you forever and ever — and I’ll see you at the beach,” she said.
“We cried. And I told him to take his father’s hand,” she added.
After over a month in the hospital, Stephen died at 4:55 p.m. on Sept. 27.
A funeral was held on Wednesday and a GoFundMe has been established to help with expenses from his long hospital stay.
“I’m lost,” April told PEOPLE hours after his death. “He was my love. I love him so much.”
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