A Utah man got to re-do his proposal to his wife, who is now battling terminal liver cancer, on Sunday with some help from his family and thanks to his son, it was all caught on camera.
Greg and Sherri Madson of Tremonton were married almost 37 years ago when they were teenagers, but the proposal he made was “looking back in hindsight, not something he wanted to do,” according to his son Jayson who spoke with Global News.
“He essentially got her her ring and found her at her parents’ house and walked in and said, ‘Here you go,’ and kind of just gave her the ring and it’s not super romantic and it was not special,” he said. “Looking back, that was a regret of his that he didn’t do something special for her then.”
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With his daughter in Utah on the weekend, Greg had his daughter and Jayson’s wife sneak out to set everything up at a local park with sidewalk chalk outlining how many days they had been married – 13,337 – and the words, “Will you marry me again?” as well as flowers and a ring tied up in a tree.
When they were ready, Jayson says he told his mom they wanted to see the house they had grown up in, but as the couple got to the old house, Sherri realized her children were nowhere to be found.
“When they got to the park, actually she was being quite stubborn and wouldn’t get out of the car because she does not like surprises and being the centre of attention.”
Jayson said he had to come out from his hiding place to tell her, “It’s not a huge thing, it’s not a big deal but it’s something special Dad planned for you.”
WATCH: Couple planned the exact same proposal for each other — on the same day
When she did get out of the car, he began recording which shows them walking along the sidewalk chalk. At first, she says “no” multiple times until Greg grabs the ring from the tree and gets down on one knee.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but I knew you’d be mad at me,” he said. “So if, by chance, I ask you to marry me again, would you?”
“She said, ‘Yes, you big idiot,'” Greg says to the camera, as their children and grandchildren reveal themselves with the latter dressed in superhero costumes and “Fight Cancer” shirts made for a fundraiser.
According to Jayson, while Sherri’s diagnosis of terminal liver cancer was not the primary reason for the proposal, having the family together this weekend made it “the right time.”
Asked about their reaction to the video going up on social media, he said that “it’s a bit much for her” but it’s worth it.
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“My mom’s just been somebody who’s dropped everything for everybody … and now, despite her admonitions, I’m still putting it out there because it’s her turn for people to reach out to her and to take care of her and do something for her,” Jayson said.
As her cancer is aggressive, and it’s not yet known if her current treatment may give them some extra years, “in the end, we know what’s coming, it’s more about a question of when.” So having this memory is important to the family.
“It was just an amazing gesture for both of them. For him to have a chance to go back and do it again, and do it in what he feels is the right way for Mom as well, to create a memory there … I just thought it was perfect.”