Jessica Davis’ wedding in April 2022 had an extra special reason to rejoice.
As a freshman in college, Davis, now 27, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that required surgery. She then met Dr. Alex Yu, vice-chair of neurosurgery at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh.
As he cared for her over the next eight years, they developed a close connection. Therefore, Davis, whose father passed away from ALS in 2009 while she was in eighth grade, asked Yu to lead her down the aisle during her wedding in April 2022.
Yu told Today on Thursday, “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor to be able to do something for someone and to have someone who values you.”
“It reminds you that life certainly has a purpose… And it was my intention to care for her and accompany her down the aisle.”
Davis’s encounter with Yu began with a visit to an eye doctor, who saw that her optic nerve was swollen and suggested she see an eye specialist, who subsequently ordered an MRI…,
Davis knew her life was going to change when the scan revealed a grade two meningioma, a benign brain tumor that originates in the brain or spine, according to Today.
Davis valued Yu’s reassuring approach and the assistance he provided amongst her anxieties while developing a treatment plan, according to Today. “He was quite self-assured,” she told the site. “[He made me feel] everything will be fine.”
Davis came to Pittsburgh every six months to visit Yu for an MRI to ensure that her tumor hadn’t reappeared, following surgery and a few issues that occurred afterwards.
Davis told Today that during their time together, she would playfully beg Yu to escort her down the aisle if she ever got married.
“He would likely assert that I would never marry. “Pretty much everyone would say that since I am so self-reliant,” she remarked. “I asked him, ‘If I ever get married, would you accompany me down the aisle?’ and he replied, ‘Of course!'”
When the time came for Davis and her now-husband Robbie Davis to begin wedding plans, Davis was uncertain whether her old doctor would recall the offer.
He most likely forgot about it. This was roughly six years in the future. I thought, “How do I ask him?” Do I want to ask him? I feel like I would be humiliated like what if he says no,'” Davis added.
“When I inquired, he responded, ‘Oh my goodness, I assumed you had forgotten about it!'”
Davis told Today that Yu was “delighted” to be questioned and that it was “awesome” that he remembered. “It was a dream come true,” she said.
Yu said, “I’ve never walked somebody down the aisle.” “It was one of those times when you experience a variety of feelings. You feel grateful. You feel love, and at one point I thought, ‘Okay, we can’t fall. We must proceed down the aisle.'”
Davis told Today that she shared her tale to encourage others to “never lose hope.”
“You will never be happy if you continue to dwell on the past,” she added. “It will forever be a part of you. However, it is difficult to be joyful if you only focus on the negative.”