The most breathtaking and awaited moment at any wedding ceremony occurs when the beautiful bride, takes her father’s arm, and walks gracefully and slowly amid the awestruck wedding guests. But for this paralyzed bride, it was something no one expected!
Bride Jaquie Gocher, 25, who was an athlete, has been paralyzed from the neck down since the age of 17. Her walking down the aisle was something none of the guests ever expected. Well, she did come in a wheelchair, but then, lo and behold! She slowly stood up and walked her bridal walk.
Jaquie suffered a spinal cord injury in a swimming accident and the doctors said that she would probably never be able to walk again. But being an athlete, she could not bear to just sit around in a wheelchair.
She beat the odds when just six months later she was able to stand. But, for the next eight years Jaquie was not able to really make much progress and mostly relied on her wheelchair to get around.
The most difficult and challenging part for Jaquie was not being able to do her workouts. “I would go to the gym and get so frustrated that I wouldn’t go back, I was trying to make myself do it but I kept failing at it and then I would be disgusted with myself,” said Jaquie, in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
When Jaquie was to get married, a year before her wedding, she had one goal—to be able to stand and walk down the aisle at her wedding—like most normal brides do. This determined young lady surely did so as we can see from these enchanting pictures taken by “Love Stories By Us.”
Yes she definitely achieved her goal of walking down the aisle—but, to everybody’s surprise she also managed to dance with her groom, on her most precious day!
The groom, although very much in the loop, was still surprised and extremely delighted to have such a strong and incredibly beautiful wife. We wish the young couple a lifetime of health and happiness!
Walk along with the bride and her family through these amazing pictures of a dream wedding ceremony!
At the age of 17 Jaquie suffered a swimming accident, which left her paralyzed from the neck down.
The doctors sadly reported that she would probably never be able to walk again.
Jaquie put herself through difficult therapy trying to regain her past life and freedom. It pained her to watch herself struggle to even be able to do the simplest of exercises.
“The first time I decided to go back to the gym, I got on a stationary bike. My legs weren’t be able to push it fast enough and the machine would turn off,” said Jaquie.
“I got so upset that I put my head down on the machine and I just started to cry.”
It took her a long time to find the strength and the incentive she needed to go back to the gym.
“On your wedding day, everybody’s looking at you, so you want to feel the most beautiful. I totally believe you can be a bomb in a wheelchair, but I didn’t want to be defined by that.”
Jaquie arrived at the ceremony with her mom on her one side and her grandfather on other. None present were surprised to see her in a wheelchair, as that is how they had always seen her.
But then she slowly raised herself from the wheelchair. All the guests present were stunned when she stood up and started walking down the aisle. It had been eight long years since her unfortunate accident, and walked.
The groom Andy Goncher was already aware of the surprise, but he still could not hold back his tears, when he actually saw her walk down the aisle.
Almost everyone present was crying; it was such an emotional moment, it was difficult to hold back their tears.
Just the year before Jaquie found it difficult to continue standing for more than 30 minutes because of her low blood pressure.
Today, she managed to stand through her entire 45 minute wedding ceremony and for the most part of her five hourlong reception.
The couple literally had their first dance as they had never danced together before.
Jaquie held on to her husband during the wedding, “He was my cane, because I would hold on to him the entire time.”
The bride’s mother was sure her daughter dancing again would be a memorable moment, so as a gift she hired professional artist Kuhn to paint the heartwarming scene in watercolor.
Jaquie looked radiant in her blush gown and mermaid green hair.
“It’s been really emotional. Sometimes I don’t realize how miraculous it is that I am walking.”
Jaquie has decided to continue with her strict therapy schedule, so that she can get rid of the wheelchair once and for all.
Wheelchair … No more!
