*IN FLORA LYIMO FASHION POLICE BLOG* CANCER-SURVIVING MOTHER WHO WED IN BORROWED PROM DRESS 25 YEARS AGO "FINALLY " WEARS BRIDAL GOWN OF HER DREAMS TO RENEW VOWS!!

 

A woman who has battled cancer for 23 out of the 25-years she has been married, is finally able to wear her very first wedding dress.
DeLese Range, 43, who has survived ovarian and breast cancer, and is now being treated for lung and lymph node cancers, married her husband Lonzie in a make-shift wedding wearing a borrowed prom dress, at age 18.
Two years later in 1989, pregnant with her second child, Mrs Range was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer, then in 2001 she discovered she had stage-four breast cancer. Because of the high cost of chemotherapy, she was never able to have her fantasy wedding.

Bridal dream: DeLese Range, 43, who has survived ovarian and breast cancer, and is now being treated for lung and lymph node cancers, is renewing her 25th wedding anniversary vows in her first bridal gown"

'We had a nurse seven days a week and had to put a hospital bed in the bedroom next to my husband,' she told ABC News.
After aggressive treatment, Mrs Range was expecting to undergo a mastectomy. But X-rays revealed that she had gone into a complete remission.

But a decade later, in 2011, Mrs Range faced a diagnosis of lung cancer, even though she had never smoked. Doctors then found unrelated cancer in her lymph nodes, and she was back to chemotherapy treatment.
The couple, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, wanted to renew their marriage vows - ceremony, wedding dress and all. But the cost of cancer stood in the way.

Happily married: Mrs Range married her husband Lonzie in a make-shift wedding wearing a borrowed prom dress, at age 18, 25 years ago"

'When the chemo came up, we couldn't do it financially,' Mrs Range said. 'It was going to have to wait.'
However when Lori Allen, who runs a successful bridal shop and also suffered from breast cancer, found Mrs Range through the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, she wanted to help.
Following Mrs Range's search for the perfect dress, a TLC special premiering tonight, Say Yes to the Cure: Lori's Fight features both woman and chronicles their journey with cancer.

Fighting mother: Mrs Range, who particpates in walks for breast cancer awareness, has always wanted to have a wedding ceremony to renew her marriage vows in front of their children

'When I first got married, I borrowed my brother's girlfriend's dress and wore it at 2 o'clock -- she wore it that night to the prom,' explained Mrs Range, who recently endured three consecutive weeks of chemotherapy so she is able skip treatment to participate in an upcoming three-day walk for breast cancer awareness.
She and husband, who are still active with the Komen foundation, will renew their vows next June in a dress provided by Mrs Allen.

Say Yes to the Cure: Lori's Fight airs on TLC, Friday, October 26th at 10pm.

Read more:

• Cancer Strikes 4 Times Before Bride Gets Wedding Dress