A bride has shared a touching video documenting the emotional moment she was being walked down the aisle by her little brother in place of her quadriplegic father – a person affected by paralysis of all four limbs.
In the heartwarming clip, Nicole Kopsidas, a 27-year-old from Ohio, was walked down the aisle on her wedding day by her brother Matthew because of their father’s illness, but she insisted the moment was so “emotional and special.” when her father sat in his wheelchair at the end of the aisle.
In an interview with Insider, the bride opened up about the touching moment as social media users struggled to hold back tears over the emotional start to their wedding ceremony.
“I knew it was going to be emotional and so special,” she said.
“In the house not a dry eye remained. It was really special and my dad was really glad we did it because he could see everyone in the room.
Ohioan Nicole Kopsidas, 27, shared the emotional moment as she was walked down the aisle by her little brother in place of her paraplegic father
In the heartwarming clip, Nicole’s brother joined her while their father waited at the altar – making the moment so “emotional and special”.
Her father waited at the altar with tears forming in his eyes. As his children approached him, Nicole leaned down and kissed her father on the cheek
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It is an incurable, lifelong condition.
MS affects 2.3 million people worldwide – including about a million in the United States
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Symptoms include tiredness, difficulty walking, blurred vision, bladder problems, numbness or tingling, muscle stiffness, and cramps.
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Nicole noted that her father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was only 2 years old and the condition got worse as she got older.
According to the National MS Society, multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
Symptoms include numbness, tingling, mood swings, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness, and/or paralysis.
During the last eight years of the bride’s life, her father was paraplegic and dependent on his parents and children for care.
“My parents divorced before my dad got sick, but my mom, siblings and I help out weekly to make sure he’s well taken care of,” she told Insider.
After Nicole and her husband got engaged, she began to wonder how her father would walk her down the aisle despite being confined to a wheelchair.
Nicole noted that her main priority was to make sure her father was okay on this special day and he was the one who suggested watching his daughter walk down the aisle alongside his son.
Of Matthew, she said: “He’s always been the baby of the family, so it was really special.
“He was honored and excited but probably a little bit sad because my dad couldn’t take me down.
“I have a feeling he knew I would ask him, so he was happy to be able to do that for our family,” she added.
Before the ceremony, Nicole said she gave her father a “first look,” which was extremely heartwarming and special for both of them.
In an interview with Insider, the 27-year-old opened up about the touching moment when social media users struggled to hold back their tears (Nicole and family pictured in 2018).
Nicole (pictured with her brother Matthew in 2018) said: “He was honored and excited but probably a little sad because my dad couldn’t bring me down.”
Nicole knew her family would appreciate the viral video, but she never imagined it would win the hearts of so many strangers
After that moment with her father, it was time for Nicole to be escorted down the aisle by her younger brother.
The emotional video, which was captured by Nicole’s mother and has been viewed more than 14.5 million times on social media, showed the stunning bride alongside her younger brother, who was holding back tears.
Her father was waiting at the altar as tears welled up in his eyes as his children approached him, Nicole leaned down and kissed her father on the cheek.
She said, “My dad was waiting for us at the altar and it was the most special moment,” before adding it was “a moment” she “would never forget.”
She stressed that she was grateful her father was able to be at her wedding that day, adding that they “cried a lot.”
“I’m his eldest and we didn’t know if he would make it to my anniversary so we both cried a lot,” Nicole said.
As for the viral video, Nicole knew her family would appreciate it, but she never thought it would win the hearts of so many strangers.
Social media users flooded their comments section, sharing their emotional reactions to the video
“I knew I was going to get a lot of attention from our family and friends because it’s really special and everyone loves and supported my dad, but I didn’t think it would be seen by millions,” she added .
Social media users flooded their comments section, sharing their emotional reactions to the video.
“I’m crying omg,” said one user.
Another user added: ‘Oh how cute.’
“This is so cute omg,” wrote another user.
“Oh such a beautiful moment,” added one user.
One user wrote: “This brought me to tears!”