W hen doctors told Noah Lathrop he might have a few days to live, he shared a final wish: He wanted to marry his fiancée.

Less than 48 hours later, he was saying “I do.”

Noah Lathrop, diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, married Jade Barba — now Jade Lathrop — on Wednesday afternoon in a small and intimate ceremony in the chapel at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. The Pearland couple's wedding came together quickly, thanks to deft planning by the team at the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Noah, dressed in a tuxedo with a boutonniere on his lapel, exchanged vows from his hospital bed, which was moved to the chapel for the occasion. Throughout the ceremony his eyes never left his bride, in her wedding dress, and the couple’s 3-year-old son, Aries. 

The bride choked up as she said her vows, promising to love her husband through sickness and health. The moment they kissed brought tears to her eyes — and fulfilled her husband's wish.

“It means a lot,” said Noah, 40, who proposed earlier this year while undergoing chemotherapy. “We got a chance to get married, which I didn’t think was going to happen in time.”

Jade donned a strapless white gown and tiara in a hospital room repurposed as a bridal suite. There, she held Aries as her hair was curled and makeup applied. 

"I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now," she said. "But overall, I'm happy."

Two-dozen staff members from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center attended the wedding. A Zoom videoconference also allowed 30 of the newlyweds’ family members and friends from California, Oregon and Utah to attend.

Noah's prognosis meant the wedding needed to come together quickly, said Dr. Charu Agrawal, the head of cancer palliative care services at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. Noah made the request on Monday afternoon, and Agrawal set out Tuesday morning to make it happen.

Agrawal emailed her colleagues, who quickly tracked down everything they needed for the ceremony. H.E.B. and the American Cancer Society donated wedding cakes, Men’s Warehouse donated a tuxedo, and a couple who used to own a bridal shop donated the dress. They also found a pianist, a makeup artist and an artist who painted a portrait of the couple during the wedding.

Agrawal also worked with Jade, who applied for the marriage license and was granted a waiver for the typical three-day waiting period in Texas.

“They had really talked about getting married for so long. They just thought they had more time,” Agrawal said. “I hope this is something she can feel really good about, that they sealed that commitment to each other.”

The newlyweds met four years ago while she was working as a bartender in California's Bay Area. Each of them was already a parent — he had three children and she had one child at the time.

At first, he didn’t think she would be interested, because he was 12 years older than her. But they each felt an instant attraction.

“I just liked his personality and his laugh,” said Jade, now 28 years old. “I looked forward to seeing him.”

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They quickly became partners and best friends. He worked in the casino industry, and they moved to Florida and later Texas for his career. They welcomed their son, Aries. 

Then last fall, Noah began feeling pain in his lower back. A doctor initially diagnosed him with sciatica, but treatment didn’t help.

The pain worsened, and it took a trip to the ER to find the root cause: a diagnosis of Stage 3 colon cancer. The news, which came in November, was a shock. The Lathrops have no family history of colon cancer — and Noah wasn't yet old enough for recommended screenings. But colon cancer has become more common in young people over the past two decades, according to the American Cancer Society. An estimated 18,000 cases were diagnosed in people under age 50 in 2020, accounting for 12 percent of all colorectal cancer cases in the U.S.

Noah underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation. But the cancer was aggressive.

“When it comes to colorectal cancer, this has definitely been on the more aggressive side that I’ve seen,” Agrawal said. “Especially given his age and getting to know his family, it’s definitely been a lot more difficult to see him go through this.”

Through it all, Jade was a source of strength for Noah, Agrawal said. She made sure he never missed an appointment as she cared for him and their son. Seeing them together made it obvious how much they love each other, Agrawal said.

“She’s already lived with the vows that she said today,” Agrawal said.

The couple knew they wanted to be married, so Noah proposed while he was undergoing treatment in February. He was weak from chemo, but he got out of bed, and lowered to one knee.

“I had to help him back up into bed, but it was very sweet and very emotional,” Jade said.

The newlyweds said they were grateful they could wed before it was too late. After Wednesday’s ceremony, Noah was moved to hospice near the couple’s home in Pearland. His relatives were set to fly in Thursday to see him one more time.

When Noah told Agrawal he wanted get married, he kept saying he knew how much it would mean to Jade to tie the knot. Together with his new wife in the chapel, he said he was thankful the wish he’d made less than 48 hours earlier could come true.

“Jade is my world,” he said. “This has not been easy. She’s made it all bearable.”

Evan MacDonald is a features reporter for the Houston Chronicle, covering health and wellness for ReNew Houston.

He joined the Chronicle in 2022 after working at Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, where he covered health. He's also worked for news organizations in New York and Massachusetts.

A Boston native, Evan graduated with a bachelor's degree from Emerson College and a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He enjoys trivia and movies and is a fan of all Boston sports teams, for which he apologizes in advance.

He can be reached on Twitter at @evanmac3 or via email at Evan.MacDonald@chron.com.