Couple that met as children at St. Jude's marry there nearly 30 years later
When it came time to choose a venue, Joel Alsup and Lindsey Wilkerson couldn't imagine holding their wedding anywhere but at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.
Alsup, 38, and Wilkerson, 37, met at the hospital when they were children; Alsup had a bone tumor and Wilkerson was being treated for acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. They became friends in the hospital, and remained in touch until they both went away for college. They reunited years later when both began working at St. Jude's fundraising and awareness organization, the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), and their friendship blossomed into a romance.
The couple wed on Sept. 1, and there were several familiar faces present, including Wilkerson's primary childhood physician, who did a reading, and their St. Jude chaplain, who was the officiant. "To know that just a few hundred feet from where we said 'I do' was literally where our lives were saved meant so much," Alsup told People. He is grateful to be married to "the love of my life," and hopes that their story "lets families and kids battling cancer know that there is life after." Catherine Garcia
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Testosterone therapy in women highlights the lack of women’s health researchThe explainer There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women
-
Magazine solutions - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Magazine printables - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
