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BY Dollita Okine, 1:00pm May 13, 2025,

Mom dies just after watching her son get married in the ICU: ‘I got one wedding to go to’

by Dollita Okine, 1:00pm May 13, 2025,
Photo credit: SGMC Health

One man fulfilled his mother’s dying wish, allowing her to watch his wedding while on her deathbed. In less than twelve hours, Samuel B. Wilson and Nakiuma Wade, RN, were married in a hospital room in Valdosta on April 11.

Nakiuma told WALB, “She would always tell me ‘I want to dance with my baby.’  She wouldn’t go to any other wedding. She wouldn’t go. She would say ‘I got one wedding to go to,’ and that’s the one she made it to.”

READ ALSO: Bride speaks out after her make-up free wedding attracted negative comments

Samuel said it didn’t surprise him because he knew his mother. “Well, it meant a lot to me because my momma always gets what she wants, and this was no exception,” he explained.

Nakiuma, an ICU nurse at SGMC Health, said her boss asked what they could do to help, and to her surprise, they gave her time for a ceremony and organized a modest reception following their vows.

“I walked in the door, I see Tammy Cooper, Chad, Gina and the conference room is decorated. I’m like ‘What’s going on in here?’ but I was excited,” the bride said.

The pair recently held an official wedding ceremony with family and friends to commemorate their beautiful union. Two weeks had passed since Mrs. Martha’s funeral.

Samuel remarked, “I think the saddest part about it is Saturday. Momma wasn’t there, but I could feel her presence.”

READ ALSO: Ohio community looking for stranger who removed his shirt to help 80-year-old covered in blood after a fall

Fortunately, they witnessed her departure. Nakiuma recounted, “All of us at the bedside when she went was everything because it’s a lot of times people lose family members, and nobody is at the bedside. But we were able to be there with her, so I knew Saturday she would be so proud that she could dance with her baby.”

SGMC Health shared the ceremony on their Facebook page. Mrs. Martha’s dream has finally come true.

Nakiuma said, “She told every listening ear, and they were able to tell everybody.  And that’s what she would have wanted.”

As they continue to live out their faith and love, the newlywed Wilsons said they are now eager to organize their honeymoon.

READ ALSO: She lost both parents as a teen, now she is graduating as a nurse to save others

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: May 13, 2025

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