CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — He's a Westside legend—famous for his style, his pointy boots, and a personality that lights up the room. But when Ronald "Pointy Boots" Mathis fell gravely ill, he refused to let love wait.
"I fell in love with her when I first seen her," Ronald Pointy Boots Mathis said.
"For richer and for poorer, for sickness and in health."
These vows mean everything to Susan and Ronald Mathis.
You know Ronnie "Pointy Boots" Mathis—his spunk and style have made him a Westside fixture.
But now, after a fight with cancer and a brain tumor, Ronnie is bedridden.
"I'm deteriorating. I'm dropping fast," Mathis said.
Ronnie tells me he's not afraid of dying.
"I had to marry her. I don't know how long I'mma live," Mathis said.
But his biggest fear? Not spending his final days with the woman he's loved for 25 years.
"I have nobody but her. And I'm trying not to kill her," Mathis said.
Tuesday, surrounded by family, they made it official—in their own living room.
Ronnie, an Army veteran, knows taking care of him has been tough on Susie. He's hoping the VA will help with a caretaker soon.
"To keep the stress off of my Susie," Mathis said.
While Susie cared for Ronnie, his niece Maxie showed me family photos—and told me just how devoted Susie has always been.
"She's been there by his side the whole time," Maxie Dennis, Niece, said.
As Susie cut her wedding cake, she revealed the ceremony was a total surprise—planned by Judge Joe Benavides.
"They're the ones that surprised me. I didn't even know I was getting married," Susan Mendez Mathis said.
So I met with Judge Benavides—a fellow veteran and friend of Ronnie's for nearly 20 years.
"I felt for Ronald and I told Ronald I would assist him and do the best that I can," Judge Joe Benavides said.
Back at the house, Susie says she didn't think twice before saying "I do."
"He treated me like it was Christmas every day," Susan Mendez Mathis said.
And for Ronnie, his last wish was simple.
"I wasn't gonna leave her out here without no papers saying she's a Mathis," he said.
Though their wedding was intimate, his wife Susie tells me they dream of a bigger celebration soon—a backyard BBQ surrounded by the Westside family Ronald holds dear.
To support Ronnie and his family, attached is the GoFundMe Link. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ronnie-mathis-pointy-boots-in-his-fight-w-cancer
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