Jim and Cindy Mininni have a love story like few others are lucky to have. The moment the two laid eyes on each other they knew that they were meant to be. The two were married for a wonderful 24-years before tragedy struck.
When Jim and Cindy met, they fell madly in love. After the two dated for a bit, Cindy found out she was pregnant. Nervous about telling Jim, he could not have been more excited when she broke the news to him. The couple had a son, Chris, and life marched on. Unfortunately, some years later Jim was diagnosed with lung cancer. He fought the best he could, underwent rounds of chemo therapy many times but it was unsuccessful. Jim’s lung cancer was never fully in remission. Chris and Cindy rallied behind Jim and the family bonded, becoming closer than they had been before.
At the end of April 2016, Jim’s health declined so severely that he became hospitalized and put on life support. Just one day later Cindy suffered a sudden heart attack and was taken to another hospital where she was also put on life support. Jim knew that he was not going to live much longer and wanted to say goodbye to the woman he cherished one last time. Unable to speak due to a tumor block his breathing, as well as the breathing tube down his throat, Jim wrote a message out to his son Chris that simply said “mom”. The staff at Jim’s hospital had already tried to get Cindy moved to the same hospital but the transfer had been denied. They were ready to try again. This time they were successful.
An unconscious Cindy was able to be transported to the same hospital that her dying husband was in so that he could see her one last time. The staff were able to put the couple in the same room with their beds facing each other so that Jim could look at Cindy and say his goodbyes. Even though Cindy remained unconscious, Jim held her hand as he began to shut down.
Cindy is now making a full recovery and has no recollection of being in the room when Jim passed. However, 21-year-old Chris captured several heartbreaking photos of father saying goodbye so that he could show his mother once she woke up. The photos and story behind them have now gone viral, touching millions around the world. Chris said of his dad,
“The one thing that incapsulates my dad in this lifetime is that he loved my mother with all of his being. I want people to see how much love they had for each other. My parents got to be together until the end. We should all be so lucky.”.
