Woman With ALS And Son Fight Back Tears As His Brothers Help Her Dance On His Wedding Day

Aug 26, 2022 by apost team

Kathy Poirier had always dreamed of being able to dance with her sons at their wedding, but unable to stand on her own after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), her dream faded. Fortunately, her sons devised a heart-rending way to make them come true, and a video of the dance has no doubt brought a tear to the eye of the millions of viewers who have seen it online.

Poirier, who lives in Florida, was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in January 2019 when she began noticing severe changes to her body. She told Good Morning America about the moment she realized how big a problem it might be.

“I went to tell my husband to bring me three items and I couldn’t hold up three fingers and that’s when I knew something was wrong,” said the mother of 28-year-old son Zak and 27-year-old twins Jake and Nick.

“The hardest part is knowing that you have it,” she continued. “If you look at the statistics, they’re very grim.”

According to the ALS Association, 90% of cases of the progressive neurodegenerative disease have no known cause, and there is no cure. It starts with muscle weakness that progresses into atrophy, leaving patients to “lose the ability to walk, dress, write, speak, swallow and breathe, and their life span is shortened” to an average of three years after the initial diagnosis.

So when Poirier’s eldest son Zak was due to get married, she was determined not to let it stand in her way.

“I was just so devastated that I wasn’t going to be able to dance with him,” the 55-year-old told The Epoch Times. “We talked about it, and I really wanted to make it happen.” 

At Zak’s wedding on Apr. 9, 2022, the three brothers escorted their wheelchair-bound mother to the dancefloor. In a video viewed more than 3.6 million times since it was shared on wedding planner Root to Stems’ Instagram account, twins Jake and Nick helped their mother to her feet and held her as she danced with Zak.

“I was really nervous going up to the floor not because I was worried about my boys; I was worried about being stared at,” Poirier confessed.

Throughout the dance, Poirier was seen tearing up as her sons held her tight. 

“Once I got on the dance floor, I knew my boys had me,” she said. “They just said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ve got you. We’re not going to let you go.’ And it was just a moment I have dreamed about for a long time.”

Zak was seen trying to hold it together, but his emotions got the better of him, and he, too, was seen fighting back tears. With tears in his eyes, he was seen saying “I love you” to his mother as they swayed to the music. 

“I had a hard time keeping my tears at bay, but it felt great,” she continued telling Epoch Times. “It felt liberating to get up and have a moment like that with my son at a milestone in his life. It was just beautiful.”

Meanwhile, Poirier hoped the video would serve to do more than just touch people’s hearts. 

“The video is about raising awareness of ALS because it’s so unforgiving,” she said. “There’s not enough awareness. I’m very fortunate; I have family, I have money to spend on treatment. But it’s not just about me, it’s about all the people that are suffering from this disease that need help.” 

apost.com

What do you think of the sweet way Kathy Poirier’s sons made her dream come true? Did the video of them dancing bring a tear to your eye too? Let us know, and pass this on to family and friends you know who would love to see this.