As his daughter's wedding day approached, Graham Coddington feared he would not be able to walk her down the aisle.
He is living with terminal brain cancer, and after his third operation to remove part of the tumour, he was struggling with speech and movement.
But there proved to be no greater motivator than being there for his daughter on her wedding day, and leaving her a special memory to cherish forever.
Thanks to his work with his specialists and team at the University of Canberra Rehabilitation Hospital, he was able to.
"It was an incredible motivator and a very, very special day for us both," Mr Coddington said.
"I knew how important it was for my daughter to have me 'take her down the aisle'.
"Until the physiotherapy team at UCH came to my assistance with specific exercises to help me maintain the strength and ability to walk, I felt strongly and very worried that I would not be able to achieve it.
"That thought was devastating.
"It was such an emotional day, and I was elated to have that moment, achieve it and now can cherish it."
Mr Coddington said it was an incredibly important moment for him and his tight-knit family.
He was even able to give a speech at the wedding, thanks to hours of work with the hospital's speech pathology team.
"I knew it meant the most to her for me to be there and for her to have the memory of that moment," he said.
"The speech pathologist, Lilly, assisted by preparing charts to help with recollection of words that were difficult to say due to my aphasia.
"She also then spent many hours helping me construct my speech for my daughter's upcoming wedding, making it simple for me to construct, keep simple and timely, read and guided me in vocalisation techniques.
"I was ecstatic the way it came together, if I do say so myself I spoke excellently!"
He is one of thousands of patients to be treated at the University of Canberra Hospital since it opened two years ago.
Assistant director of nursing at the hospital, Maria Harman, said having a purpose built hospital for rehabilitation not only took the pressure off acute services, but helped patients in their recovery.
The 140-bed facility treats a wide range of patients, including those recovering from traumatic brain injuries, stroke and major surgeries.
"It's away from the hustle and bustles of an acute environment, it's calming, people can concentrate on rehab," she said.
"Most people love it because it's purpose-built and we can tailor the rehabilitation programs to individual needs."
