CHICAGO, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A Chicago lesbian couple will be the first in the state to wed this week after a court granted an exception to nuptials that won't be legal until June.
Patricia Ewert and Vernita Gray say they will wed as soon as possible because Gray is battling terminal breast cancer that's spread to her brain. Doctors say it is unlikely she will live as long as June, when the state's recently passed same-sex marriage law will go into effect, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.
With Gray's grim prognosis, the couple filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago seeking the right to marry immediately. The Cook County Clerk's office, through its state lawyers, declined to defend itself against the suit and Judge Thomas Durkin granted the exception.
County Clerk David Orr said he was happy the couple will be able to wed and promised a staff member from his office would hand-deliver the couple's marriage certificate to Gray's hospital room. The couple said they plan to wait a day or two until after Gray's most recent cancer treatment, which leaves her weak, before having the ceremony.
"This has been an amazingly wonderful surprise and we are thrilled beyond belief," Ewert said. "The judge was an amazing human being who understands our struggle. I'm surprised, happy, delighted."
Gray, 64, and Ewert, 65, met five years ago. They were engaged on Christmas 2009 and entered into a civil union in 2011, when Illinois made them legal, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
And while the symbolism of marriage in such difficult circumstances is obvious, the practical benefits are also significant. Ewert will be in a better financial situation to address Gray's end-of-life care and will be eligible for survivor benefits like any other couple.
