‘Don’t take anything for granted’: College sweethearts married in hospice at Boston hospital

Wow, a powerful moment is going viral on TikTok. A man on hospice care in Boston and his fiancee say their I do's. Sadly, he passed away a few days later. Boston 25 News reporter Daniel Code spoke with his widow. We're gathered here today from a hospice bed at Brigham and Women's this April. Boston's registrar oversaw one of the city's most meaningful marriages yet. Kelly Peters recited her vows to longtime boyfriend Robbie Fox, whose years-long battle with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer, was coming to a close. The 27-year-olds first met at Elon their freshman year and finally coupled up their junior year. They graduated, got a dog together and kick-started their lives in Connecticut and We were like, Dana-Farber seems like the best option. The North Carolina man, his family and Kelly moved to Boston for treatment between Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's. 14 rounds of chemo, 40 rounds of radiation, numerous blood transfusions and nights spent at the hospital later, Robbie was finally in remission until November of 2025. When the cancer returned, pain medication could only do so much, which is when hospice got involved. He said, oh, I'm fine not leaving the state of Massachusetts. The couple had been engaged for a year. Their Vermont wedding plans halted until Kelly had an idea. Oh, I think we should get married. Reflecting back, I was like, I think it's more meaningful if he was my husband than not. I think he cried at home. I don't really remember, but yeah, he was pretty happy. On April 15th, eight years exactly after they first met at Elon, family, friends and the city watched the college sweethearts make it official. Then by the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is my privilege to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. Ten days later, Robbie passed away. He taught me that I could be so strong. An active outdoorsy and outgoing guy that was loved by everyone, leaving Kelly behind with the memory of her husband. He was like, well, you know, you're gonna live on. And I did promise him like I would name my first kid after him and that kind of stuff, just because of the impact he's made. In Boston, I'm Daniel Coates for your local station, Boston 25 News.