Father with Parkinson’s Fulfills Dream to Dance with His Daughter at Her Wedding (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Once Like A Spark Photography

A determined dad withParkinson’s diseasewent the extra mile to make sure he didn’t miss one of life’s special moments.

After Marrocco got engaged in June 2022, she approached Orr about doing a father-daughter dance at her wedding. “He was receptive to the idea and up for the challenge, knowing it was going to be something he had to prepare for,” she recalls.

Prepare he did — and then some. The family reached out to the Fox Rehabilitation Center and they connected Orr with physical therapist Moira Vayda, whom Marrocco says worked “tirelessly” with her father on his balance, gait and coordination. “This was to help him with his day to day but also for walking me down the aisle and our dance together,” Marrocco explains.

The father and daughter spent about a month practicing their dance in the kitchen ahead of the October 2023 wedding. “My mother and Moira looked on with tears in their eyes,” Marrocco remembers.

On the big day, the pair took to the dance floor asCéline Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ballad played. “I had this song in my head for my father and me to dance to for a long time because the lyrics are everything I’ve thought of my dad my entire life,” Marrocco tells PEOPLE. “My dad has been everything to me, he’s been there with his unconditional love, to encourage, support and protect me.”

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Marrocco says she was “fully absorbed” in the emotional moment of the pair’s special dance.

“I remember thinking how confident and proud he was to be dancing with me. I teared up a bit, but the moment also made my heart so happy to be able to share such an unforgettable time with him,” she says. “We danced flawlessly with him twirling me, and I even gave him a few spins. I belted out the lyrics to him, and we laughed at how terrible my singing is even though in my head I sound just like Céline.”

Christina Orr

“My best friend and maid of honor said there wasn’t a dry eye in the place,” Marrocco adds.

Making the wedding dance even more poignant, Vayda was there to see all of her work with Orr come to fruition. “Moira attended our wedding in support of my father, which was so kind of her,” Marrocco says. “We absolutely love her and everything she has done for our family. She went above and beyond.”

“Coaching the class has allowed me to give back to the Parkinson’s community and help people,” she says.

source: people.com