Paralysed dad fulfils dream of walking his daughter down the aisle — with the help of a BIONIC SUIT
After falling victim to cancer, the proud dad was warned he'd never walk again
HEART-WARMING footage shows the tear-jerking moment a woman’s dad accompanies her down the aisle - even though he was warned he’d never walk again.
In 2012, real-life bionic man Chris Palmer, 55, was left wheelchair-bound following his battle with cancer.
It’s always been Chris’ dream to walk his daughter Heather down the aisle, but when he fell victim to cancer he feared that he’d never be given the opportunity.
Thinking back on his gruelling treatment, Chris remembered: "When I lay in hospital after the operation, one of the first things I thought about was my daughter's wedding and how I wasn't going to be able to walk her down the aisle."
This month, Chris was determined to make the walk with his daughter, Heather, 28, on her big day.
Luckily, he was loaned a state-of-the-art robotic suit called Rex, technology that is worth a whopping £90,000.
Heather, who works for Rolls-Royce, discovered the special suit when researching a company called Rex Bionics, who help the disabled to walk.
The generous staff at Rex Bionics agreed to teach Chris how to use the miracle exo-skeletal suit and loaned it to him for his big day.
After Chris donned the Wallace and Gromit-style device, the wheelchair-bound dad was able to stand up tall and proud.
At the ceremony in Darley Abbey, Derby, Chris held on to Heather’s hand as they made their way down the aisle towards husband-to-be Christopher Halls, 28.
Chris described the experience as “wonderful” and revealed: “It's fulfilling something that dads do.”
Delighted newlywed Heather said: "It is really overwhelming that my dad is able to walk me down the aisle.
"I feel really proud of him that he's come this far and am really grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way.
"We really struggled to find unique and stylish venues within the East Midlands that offer full disabled access.
"However, our experience with The West Mill team was completely different. They have been so understanding and helpful throughout the whole planning process."
The doting daughter recommends that people affected by disabilities consider measures that will make occasions easier.
She said: "There are a lot of people who are in my dad's position that don't know this is out there, and I want people to know if they have had an accident that is life-changing or have a disability, there are measures out there that would enable them to do things they might think they could never do.”