Hospital helps young mother with terminal cancer fulfill her dream of getting married

(ORANGE COUNTY, Ca.) — A 24-year-old woman who found out she had end-stage cancer after suffering a traumatic spinal injury during a car crash last year was fulfilled her dream of marrying her longtime boyfriend on Friday in a ceremony at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.

Sandra Orellana was diagnosed with metastatic stomach cancer while being treated for the injury she sustained in the August 2014 crash, according to a news release from Miller Geer and Associates, the hospital's publicist.

After the diagnosis, she was transferred to St. Joseph Hospital's Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment where she received the devastating news that the disease had progressed, and that her prognosis was likely fatal.

Orellana's family decided to stop treatment in order to maximize the quality of the rest of her life. She was given an estimate of about six months to live, the release stated.

After learning that Orellana's dream was to wed her longtime boyfriend, 29-year-old Andres Rendon, the hospital decided to step in and help make that dream come true.

The two have been a couple since her brother introduced them in 2007, after Orellana came to California from El Salvador. They both envisioned "a beautiful wedding to celebrate their fidelity," and worked hard to save and make that dream a reality, the release stated.

The couple has two daughters, 4-year-old Karen and 2-year-old Rachel.

Orellana and Rendon exchanged vows during a ceremony at a gazebo near the main entrance of the hospital early Friday afternoon. After, a reception was held for the couple with family and hospital staff.