BUFFALO, N.Y. — As Bethany Ferrino and Austin Reese were preparing for their wedding this August, their biggest concern was whether Bethany's father, Richard Ferrino, who was battling stage four lung cancer, would be there to see it.

"Even when I would take him to all his doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy sessions, radiation, all his surgeries, he would tell the nurses, doctors, 'I have to make it to August, I’ve got to be there for her wedding, she's my only daughter,'" said Bethany.

As the big day slowly approached, it became clear Richard was running out of time.

"With the progression that came with his cancer, it was quick. With the diagnosis, she realized he might not be there. It was definitely something they needed to do now," said Roswell Park registered nurse Taylor Jeffreys. 

So the couple decided to have the wedding near the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  

"I just kind of thought, ‘this shouldn't be in a room, this should be somewhere beautiful’ and Bethany and I had spoken before about weddings and she had said she wanted to get married outside, so I said, ‘let's try to make this happen,’" said Jeffreys. 

“They knew him as a person since he was there for about a year and a half being treated. They knew he loved being outside, so the nurses took it upon themselves to make sure it happened outside," said Reese. 

So on Father’s Day, surrounded by friends and family, Bethany and Austin exchanged rings in the garden outside Roswell.

And while Richard wasn’t able to walk his daughter down the aisle, he was able to give his only daughter away — with a handshake.

"When I shook his hand, I looked at him in the eyes and I knew exactly what he was saying to me. I knew right then and there that that bond was created and that's something I'll always cherish," said Austin Reese.

Richard Ferrino died three days later. While he lost his fight against cancer, he accomplished a different goal. 

"His fight had a reason. He knew he was fighting to see his girl get married. We wanted to give him the peace of mind knowing he fulfilled his fight," said Reese. 

"It makes it a little more comforting and easier to know that he saw that happen, not that I won't miss him, because I will, but it makes it a little easier to know that," said Bethany Reese.