A man battling cancer saw his daughter getting married by his bedside at a Howrah hospital on Tuesday.

Sandip Kumar Sarkar, 61, suffering from an advanced stage of cancer, was keen to witness his daughter’s marriage. He has been admitted to Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Howrah’s Andul since January 26.

The wedding and the registration had been planned for February 16, but Sarkar’s daughter Deotima and son-in-law Sudpita Kundu decided to advance the registration to Tuesday.

When they approached the hospital authorities, the nod came instantly. “Since December 28, my father has been admitted to hospital thrice. Doctors have told me his condition is very critical. But he was keen to see me getting married,” Deotima, a PhD scholar in physiology, told Metro on Tuesday after the registration.

“We have been in a relationship for some time but we hadn’t planned marriage now. I took the call as soon as I got to know of my father’s condition and Sudipta agreed immediately,” she said.

Sudipta, who works with a nationalised bank, and Deotima advanced the registration date as Sarkar’s condition worsened.

On Tuesday, the couple exchanged rings and rose garlands. An enlarged photograph of the two from a pre-wedding shoot and a cake were arranged for the occasion.

Sarkar cut the cake and made his daughter and son-in-law eat the first pieces.

The affair was short because Sarkar had to be wheeled into the operating theatre. “I am still in the hospital. My father was just brought out of the operating theatre,” Deotima said in the evening.

A former engineer with Eastern Railway, Sarkar had to take voluntary retirement in 2016 because of his ill health. The Baranagar resident was diagnosed with cancer in the tongue in 2011. He was cured following treatment.

There was a relapse in 2016 and by 2017, the cancer had spread to his lungs.

“It was a Stage IV cancer in 2017. He was doing well even a couple of months

ago but his condition

started to worsen,” Chandrakanth M.V., who has been treating Sarkar, along with colleagues Vivek Agarwala and Pradip Kumar Mondal, said.

“The patient is so spirited. Whenever he would see me, he would only say ‘I want to attend my daughter’s wedding’. So, when the proposal came, we at the hospital agreed immediately. We are ready to do anything for the well-being and happiness of a patient,” he said.

Deotima said she would never forget the courtesy extended by the “hospital staff, administration and doctors”.

Deotima knows her father might not be able to attend her wedding on Sunday. “I know that.... But he is a real fighter and I love and respect him for that.”