“Holiday Dream Wedding Contest” bride-to-be, diagnosed
with colon cancer, shares story of hope, survival

After a surprise proposal in May at the historic Mills House in Columbia, kindergarten teacher Kimberly Wright became the exuberant bride – looking at bridal magazines, planning the details of her wedding and looking forward to her future with fiancé Cecil Bradstreet.

But the couple’s lives quickly took an unexpected turn. In early July, Kimberly was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.  Surgeons removed about two feet of her colon and a lemon-sized tumor which was pressing against her intestinal wall. Only a single layer of cells was preventing the tumor from breaking through and spreading cancer cells throughout her body.

While Kimberly was recuperating, planning her return to the kindergarten students she loved and focusing on her chemotherapy treatments, Cecil took over the wedding plans. He discovered that NBC-TV affiliate, WIS-TV in Columbia, and The Mitchell House and Gardens in Lexington were offering a free December wedding. All that was required for entry was a 350-word essay and a photograph. He wrote the story and sent their photo via email to the television station.
In his entry, Cecil wrote, "After questions and tears we are ready to fight this and she is going to prevail.  Our future plans are to beat this and move on in our lives and have a family."

On Thursday, July 30, Cecil learned that he and Kimberly were one of four finalist couples chosen for the wedding prize. There was only one problem: He hadn’t told Kimberly that he had entered them in the contest, and the finalist couples were being introduced the next day on live television during the station’s 6 a.m. “Sunrise Show.”
That evening, he said, “I have something to tell you.”

Kimberly had just undergone her first chemotherapy treatment that day. She listened in amazement and said, “I guess I’ll have to wash my hair.”

Then, the teacher in her asked, “Who proofread your entry?”

The next day, the four couples were introduced to WIS-TV viewers from The Mitchell House. Then, viewers were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite couple. On Friday, Aug. 12, Kimberly and Cecil were named the winners on the Sunrise Show and were interviewed.

Friends and family emailed others to vote for Kimberly and Cecil. People throughout the United States and abroad went to the WIS-TV Web site and were inspired by the couple’s story of love, faith and hope.
Phyllis James, owner of The Mitchell House and Gardens, had approached WIS-TV with the idea for the contest. “We love people being in love,” she said. “And when the economic downturn began in 2008, the staff and I decided to make the wedding dreams of one couple come true.”

The business developed its own “Holiday Dream Wedding Contest” and gave a free wedding to a couple in December 2008. That contest was followed by another for military couples. The second “Holiday Dream Wedding” took place on July 4.

“Because of the 10th anniversary for the ‘TODAY Throws a Wedding’ contest, it seemed a natural to offer a local contest to WIS-TV,” said Patsy Kiser, vice president of operations at The Mitchell House. “More than 100 couples entered. Their stories made us laugh and cry, and each entry tugged at our hearts.”

Approximately 10,000 votes were cast.

Kimberly and Cecil will marry December 26. The event will include the wedding and reception at The Mitchell House, which will be adorned with elegant Christmas decorations. As part of their prize package, they will receive a custom wedding cake, flowers for the bride and wedding party, wedding candles, a lavish reception, and other wedding services.
“I just wanted to take the pressure of planning off of Kimberly so that she could focus on getting well,” said Cecil, who works for the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

For Kimberly, the surprise took awhile to set in. But she’s back to teaching in her classroom, and her students are thrilled to know that she’s getting married.

She’s actively involved in talking to community groups about the need for colorectal screening and education. Her father, David Wright, was diagnosed at age 50 with colon cancer. The family has made colon cancer education part of their life’s work and are working with the Center for Colon Cancer Research at the University of South Carolina and other organizations.

“I’m fortunate,” Kimberly said. “That one layer of cells had kept the cancer from spreading. Cecil and I are looking forward to our wedding and our future together. It’s a gift, and December is the perfect time to celebrate our love.”