N.J. man loses cancer battle after fulfilling wish of marrying high school sweetheart
Kevin Sochanchak and Ashley Wood tied the knot after he entered hospice care in February.
A New Jersey man has lost his battle with cancer less than two months after he and his high school sweetheart, a cancer survivor, married, fulfilling a last wish.
Kevin Sochanchak, 27, of Pennsauken Township, died Sunday, his wife Ashley announced in an Instagram post.
On Feb. 11, nine days after entering hospice, Sochanchak and Ashley Wood married. The couple had entered a contest and won a free wedding at Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford.
"You gave me what most people search a whole lifetime for. I'm beyond blessed that I've had the opportunity to love someone so deeply," Ashley Sochanchak wrote on her Instagram account on Sunday.
The two had been together for 11 years. They first planned to marry in 2011 but had to postpone the ceremony when Ashley was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Kevin was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach and esophageal cancer in 2014, according to NJ.com.
"It was just full of shock to find out that he had cancer [after] everything we had already been through," Ashley told Inside Edition in a previous interview.
She was declared in remission but in May 2016, he received word that his cancer had spread.
At the time, Sochanchak said the one thing he wanted to accomplish in his life was to marry Wood, NJ.com reported.
"Our hearts are heavy and we are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Sochanchak," wrote the Balis Family and Everyone at Adelphia in a Facebook posting. " May your precious memories of your time together keep you strong during this difficult time."