It was a traditional wedding ceremony but with an undertone of urgency as Jeff Petty escorted his daughter Janena down the aisle.



Unless there is a miracle, Petty won�t live much longer. He�s suffering from renal cell carcinoma, which has spread to his bones. The�cancer is too advanced for chemotherapy treatment. On June 12 his doctor gave him two to three months to live.



Tuesday night, guests masked their sadness and babies squirmed in mothers� arms as they stood watching father and daughter enter�South Hutchinson Christian Church.



Janena became engaged to Christopher Banks late last year, and up until two weeks ago�the couple�had planned to marry on July 5, 2015. However, when the Petty family learned that Jeff was terminally ill, everything changed. They knew if they waited until next year Jeff Petty wouldn�t be escorting his daughter.



They decided to move up the wedding date. At first the couple thought they would just get married at the courthouse so that Jeff Petty could be present. But Jeff's sisters got involved and a church wedding was planned in less than two weeks. It helped that Jeff Petty�s brother-in-law Jeff Arnold is�the pastor of South Hutchinson Christian Church, and the wedding could be scheduled quickly.



Then there was a dash to find a wedding dress and something for the bridesmaid, flower girl and ring-bearer to wear. They also quickly rented suits for the groom and groomsman.



"I'm definitely fine with moving the wedding up," said Christopher�Banks as he anxiously waited in one room of the church�while his bride-to-be dressed in another. He said that Petty lectured him all the time about marrying his daughter.



"I take his advice," Banks said. "It's a respect thing. He has wisdom to offer."



Getting the guests to come at short notice was another challenge, especially on a Tuesday night. But family came from as far away as Key West, Florida, to celebrate the happy occasion.



Jim Petty said he canceled an-important meeting in Wichita so�he could attend his niece�s wedding. He�said that family was more important.



There was no rehearsal dinner the night before the nuptials. Instead, earlier in the afternoon before the 6:30 p.m. ceremony they�went through instructions with the pastor. The father of the bride skipped the practice and napped. He would need his strength for later.



�I�m feeling pretty good,� said the extremely thin Petty. A religious man, he said he couldn't face death the way he was without his faith in Christ. If this had happened at another time in his life, he doesn't think he could have handled it.



"I'm set. I'm good," he said. "I had a good life and a good wife."



The son of race-car driver Jack Petty of Salina, Jeff grew up racing cars as a hobby and then made his living driving everything from school buses to trash trucks.



Since he learned there was no cure for his disease, he has been amazed every day�at how God�has been�working in his life.



According to his siblings, Petty has spent his entire life helping others. He would never turn anyone away from his Wichita home. Even if he was scrimping he would feed whoever showed up at his table. Now he is seeing the people he once helped reaching out to help him.



"Some people I haven't seen for 20-plus years recently came and put a new roof on my house," Petty said. "Someone else gave me a $1,000 check. Every day, people come to help me."



He likened it to the kind of support people give when there is a natural disaster.



"In tragedy you see the best in a lot of people," Petty said. "Basically I am seeing what could have been a tragedy becoming one blessing after another blessing."



The father of four, Jeff Petty has three daughters -�Jaime, Crystal and�Janena - and a son, Royce.



Having Janena married�brings further peace of mind to a man who has made peace with his world.