# Couple With Terminally Ill Baby Marry In Hospice So He Could Be With Them

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/lifestyle/weddings/couple-with-terminally-ill-baby-marry-in-hospice-so-he-could-be-with-them/
- Published: 2017-03-21T19:00:05+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _A couple, with a terminally ill baby boy, who had only weeks to live, moved their wedding day and married in a hospice their baby was in, so he could be there with them._

Patricia and Christopher Armstrong exchanged vows last week in a North Carolina 
hospice while Christopher was cradling their one-month-old son, Conner.

> “We were told we didn’t have much time left with�Conner. So we wanted him to be
> there,” Christopher told�[WFMY](http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/health/triad-couple-gets-married-at-hospice-so-dying-infant-could-be-a-part-of-it/422501997).

Patricia also said that�the whole family watching on, including their two young 
daughters, made their special day “perfect”. “It’s been scary. It’s been emotional,
but it’s well worth it,” she said.

[⌊Couple with terminally ill baby marry in hospice sharing a heartfelt moment⌉⌊Couple with terminally ill baby marry in hospice sharing a heartfelt moment⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/hospice4.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)

Conner was diagnosed with a�rare genetic disorder called�[Trisomy 18](http://www.medicinenet.com/trisomy_18_edwards_syndrome/article.htm)
�(also known as Edwards’ syndrome), which causes severe birth defects, and�affects
around one in 2000 pregnancies in the US.

The [Trisomy 18 foundation ](http://www.trisomy18.org/)said that�only 50 per cent
�of babies who are carried to term will be born alive.�”Basically [Conner]�has an
extra eighteenth chromosome. It has more internal effects,” Christopher�said.

Sadly, three days after the ceremony, on March 17, Conner died.

[⌊Couple with terminally ill baby marry in hospice so he could be with them | stay
at home mum⌉⌊Couple with terminally ill baby marry in hospice so he could be with
them | stay at home mum⌉[

> Christopher�posted a heart-wrenching [Facebook message](https://web.facebook.com/CRArmStrong4.2.0/posts/1469447526407923)
> to his little boy. “You are loved by so many and will be missed by all. My heart
> is broken but I know you are in a�better place and you are watching over your 
> sisters, your mama and me,” he wrote.

Patricia�also shared a heartfelt tribute to Conner,�whom she called a “fighter”.“
He proved so many doctors wrong so many people wrong by making it as long as he 
did,” she wrote. “And he touched so many people’s lives,�ours the most.”

The family paid tribute to Conner’s short life and released colourful balloons into
�the sky.

Source:�[Essentialbaby.com.au](http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/news/current-affairs/couple-marry-in-hospice-so-their-dying-baby-can-be-there-20170320-gv203w)

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)