Paralyzed Mom Cries When Son Fulfills Her Wish to Share a Dance at His Wedding

Despite losing her walking and most of her muscle ability, Kathy Poirier was determined to share a dance with her son during his wedding. However, her resolve and strength left many people emotional.

Life can sometimes be as daunting as it is beautiful and encouraging. On this journey, we experience countless highs and lows, which lead to uncertainty about what happens next since no one can predict tomorrow.

Often, life throws us a curveball that we do not know how to handle and leaves us questioning why certain things happen and for what purpose. Yet, once in a while, we get told a story that reinforces the strength of love, determination, and not giving up despite these bleak circumstances.

When an Instagram user shared a video that meant so much to him, he probably did not predict how the clip would leave everyone teary-eyed. Here's what happened.

FLORIDA MOM GETS DIAGNOSED WITH FATAL DISEASE

In 2018, Florida mom Kathy Poirier started noticing something strange happening in her body. At first, her legs got so heavy she found it difficult to climb the stairs.

However, things got pretty serious one day when she wanted to tell her husband to get her three items from the market but suddenly could not hold up three fingers to indicate what she wanted. Afterward, she visited the hospital to get an accurate diagnosis of what was wrong with her body.

After visiting several neurologists, Kathy was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive nervous system disease. It affects nerve control in the brain and spine, leading to a loss of muscle control.

The bleak news for people suffering from this disease is that it has no treatments, and most patients are given two to five years to live after diagnosis because their body deteriorates over time.

KATHY DANCES WITH HER SON ON HIS WEDDING DAY

On April 28, Zak Poirier, Kathy's son, posted a video clip on his Instagram page that left everyone tearing up. Zak, 28, married Anja d'Adesky on April 9 in front of a large number of guests, including his mother, Kathy.

In the clip, Kathy, who had lost her ability to walk, was sitting in a wheelchair and being escorted to the dancefloor by Zak and his brothers for the mother-son dance.

Afterward, Kathy, with tears in her eyes, was lifted out of her wheelchair into her children's arms and the four of them swayed along to the music. As the four of them swayed, Zak whispered, "I love you," into his mom's ear, and after the dance, the trio lowered her back into the chair.

The guests gave them a round of applause, and Zak kissed his mother on the forehead before presenting her to the crowd. Zak captioned the post with a brief explanation of what happened. He wrote:

“My Mom was diagnosed with ALS shortly before I graduated law school. Since that time, I’ve watched her bravely fight her diagnosis and challenge the odds against her. Despite not being able to stand on her own, my Mom and I shared a dance at my wedding.”

He finished the post by noting how Kathy inspires him daily to be humble, kind, and selfless. "Love you, Mom," he concluded.

KATHY SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE OCCASION

Speaking to GMA after the clip of her dancing with Zak went viral, Kathy, 55, explained that she felt nervous going up on stage to dance because she was worried about being stared at.

Two and a half years after her diagnosis, Kathy noted that she had changed and was no longer the person she once was; however, once she got to the dance floor, her kids assured her they would not let go of her.

Kathy confessed that it was a moment she had dreamed about for a long time and was determined to show that nothing would deny her that special moment with her son. Zak is her first son to get married, and Kathy confessed she never thought she would be in that situation before her diagnosis.

Nevertheless, she envisioned how that day and moment would go because no one knows tomorrow. Also touching on her disease, the 55-year-old noted that the most challenging part was knowing she had ALS because the statistics are bleak.

Although living with the disease is the hardest thing she has ever done, Kathy explained that she believes there is a reason behind her condition and that she will know one day.

However, she has been getting encouraging messages and wants to use her story to inspire other people and make them aware of ALS and its impact on a person and their families so they can get some help.