Dos Palos couple moves wedding date after cancer diagnosis

DOS PALOS, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Dos Palos couple is facing the unimaginable after a woman was diagnosed with colon cancer months before she planned to walk down the aisle.

The bride, Cassandra Kreyger, also needs surgery to remove a tumor, so the couple decided to move up their wedding date.

"She's got a lot more work to do in this life," said Henry Kreyger, Cassandra's husband.

He is hopeful for more time with his wife.

The couple has been together for almost eight years and got engaged in December 2020.

They had plans for a fall wedding, but then the unthinkable happened.

"They told me, 'Oh, you have colon cancer,'" said Cassandra Chiappetta- Kreyger.

Chiappetta said she lost her appetite and was constantly feeling fatigued before a doctor in Los Banos suggested a specialist.

After a colonoscopy, she was told she likely had stage three colon cancer.

Doctors won't know for sure until they remove a tumor at the end of August.

"People understand what cancer is, but experiencing it is way different. It's like you can tell people how you feel, but they can't really relate to you and how you feel health-wise," said Chiappetta- Kreyger.

With so much uncertainty surrounding her diagnosis, the couple decided to move their wedding date from October to July.

Cassandra said family and friends stepped up to help.

Even though it wasn't the wedding she initially hoped for, she got to add little touches of her passion for drawing and design to the day.

Kreyger was even able to sneak in a little surprise for his bride.

"The way I planned it in my head was that we were going to surround her, and it was going to be a photo opportunity, and then like last minute, I was like, I'm gonna walk up to a song. I'm going to present her shirt while we're all wearing our shirts," said Kreyger.

And that's exactly what happened.

Kreyger said the idea was to show Cassandra she wasn't alone during her cancer battle.

Now, the couple, along with their kids, plan to take on this new challenge over the next year.

But they say they're optimistic.

"Cancer just seems like a life sentence. It seems like an ending, not a beginning. I have to be hopeful, 'cause if not, I'm already giving up," said Chiappetta- Kreyger.

Chiappetta- Kreyger will have surgery to remove the tumor at the end of August. Then she'll have to go through chemotherapy. The couple has set up a donation page to help with medical expenses.

If you'd like to help them during this difficult time, click here.

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