NEPTUNE -- Tommy DiPaolo stood up, which in itself was an act of fortitude. The 65-year-old is suffering from late-stage kidney cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Hepatitis C.

With one hand gripping a walker and the other cradling a glass of cider, the father of the groom fought off tears and offered a wedding toast straight from the chest: To the happy couple, of course, but also to the folks at Imperial Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Here’s why: For the past two years, Ellen Tyndell and Thomas DiPaolo planned a destination wedding in Disney World. When it became clear the elder Tommy couldn’t get there, the nursing home brought the wedding to him. They threw an impromptu ceremony in their courtyard Saturday, four weeks before the main event in Orlando.

NJ judge officiates daughter's wedding on his death bed

“This is the highlight of my life,” the grateful dad told the assembled crowd of about 50, most of whom were Imperial residents and staffers. “I’m just so overwhelmed by your love, and I hope I give you love, too.”

You could hear a pin drop. Even the birds were quiet.

‘Life still happens’

Saturday’s affair came together in a matter of weeks, but you’d never know it. The courtyard was festooned with flowers and balloons, with music piped in and two sheet cakes on display.

“We try hard to do things like this for families,” said Mary Walaszek, Imperial’s director of activities. “People have this impression of nursing homes as dark and dreary and full of death. We want to make sure we remind people: Life still happens.”

The five-star facility has celebrated birthday parties and wedding anniversaries, but this was the first wedding anyone could remember.

“It’s a really good idea, not just for our family but for other people,” said Kim DiPaolo, 59, Tommy’s wife. “Sometimes people are afraid to say something when you’re in a care facility like this. They’re afraid to ask if it’s OK to do this; they just automatically thing that you can’t do it. All you have to do is ask because people are really good at heart.”

Kim helped hatch the idea, but “they took care of it all,” she said. “All I had to do was pick up the cake.”

How we pulled off a wedding in a blizzard

In sickness and health

The DiPaolos lived in Howell for more than two decades before Tommy checked into Imperial three years ago. They raised Thomas on Disney World, first bringing him at 15 months of age (his sister Anna currently works there). Now 31, the younger Tom said Disney was a natural wedding venue because Ellen loves the place as much as he does. The Brick residents plotted their nuptials far in advance to maximize attendance, and 89 people have RSVPd.

But like Tom’s dad, Ellen's grandparents Catherine and Louis Tyndell could not make the trip. So they also were all smiles Saturday.

“It’s wonderful that we’re able to be part of the wedding,” said Louis Tyndell, who lives in Toms River. “We were afraid we weren’t going to be involved at all.”

Instead they sat front and center as minister Rob Clawson led the couple through their vows.

You’ve heard them a thousand times, but when you really listen, wedding vows are a powerful thing. Especially the pledge to persevere together through sickness and health. Enlarge that a little and you get an event like Saturday’s.

“We wished they could be there with us in Disney,” Ellen Tyndell said, “but we thought this was the next-best thing.”

In a way, it was better.

“I feel wonderful today, I really do,” Tommy DiPaolo said, wiping away tears with a handkerchief. “I just love my son so much. He’s such a good guy. I’m so proud of them.”

He went out of his way to thank the nursing staff that keeps him going day after day: Ernesto Ramos, Rita Mendez, Courtney Schiereck, Sandra Fowlkes and Annie Treadwell.

“I know there’s times I rub people the wrong way,” he said during the toast, “but I love you so much.”

Perhaps the most fitting tribute came from a stranger. Shortly before the ceremony, as the bride and groom waited alone in Imperial’s foyer, an employee checking out of her shift walked over to them.

“I’m so touched by what you’re doing,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Carino’s Corner appears Mondays in the Asbury Park Press. Contact Jerry at jcarino@gannettnj.com.