Current:Home > FinanceOlympian Madeline Musselman Honors Husband Pat Woepse After Fatal Cancer Battle -Ascend Wealth Education
Olympian Madeline Musselman Honors Husband Pat Woepse After Fatal Cancer Battle
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-06 23:50:30
Madeline Musselman is remembering her late husband.
Less than a month after the Olympian shared her husband Pat Woepse had died at 31 following a battle with a rare form of cancer called NUT carcinoma, she joined family and friends to celebrate his life at an outing to Newport Beach, Calif.
In addition to a church service, Pat's loved ones honored him with an ocean swim as a tribute to the late UCLA water polo player, who once swam across the English Channel.
"All for you, Pat. All for you," Madeline captioned a Nov. 3 Instagram video. "We love you and miss you. We can do hard things. PW FOREVER."
The 26-year-old—who won gold with her water polo team at the 2020 Tokyo and 2016 Rio Olympics—first shared the news of Pat's passing on Oct. 10.
"No words to describe the ache of missing him" she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the two on the beach. "He was the light of my life and my person. He was my first love and the best husband I could have ever asked for."
She added, "And although it feels heavy and I can't breathe as I sit here typing this out, he is no longer in pain and was so at peace during his last moments. He battled one of the most rare cancers for over a year, never complained, and fought harder than anyone should have to fight for something in their life."
But he'll always be in her heart.
"I love you so much babe," she said. "I will be missing you forever."
Madeline and Pat first met in 2022 and married in October 2023, shortly after learning about his cancer diagnosis.
"All the people that came together to make it happen within four days," Madeline recalled to NBCLos Angeles in August, "it was pretty crazy. We had flowers. We had a church that welcomed us with open arms to marry us. It was just a perfect weekend."
Pat had previously shared that despite his health and the chemotherapy treatments he was undergoing, he was determined to watch his wife compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics—and he did.
"This was my biggest goal, with everything being so unknown," he told NBC. "So pretty emotional, emotional day for me. Couldn't be more thrilled to be here to support Maddie and the team.
And while the couple wanted to keep many aspects of their lives private, the athletes shared their hope that by being open about their story they could be an inspiration to others dealing with difficult situations.
"We're sharing our story not for people to feel sorry for us or feel bad for what we're going through," Madeline said. "If anything it's for inspiration and that you can get to the other side of things With the people that are right next to you, we hope for that."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (55692)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- New 'Yellowstone' is here: Season 5 Part 2 premiere date, time, where to watch
- Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia Explains Why She’s Not Removing Tattoo of Ex Zach Bryan’s Lyrics
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- 'Climate change is real': New York parks employee killed as historic drought fuels blazes
- Wisconsin’s high court to hear oral arguments on whether an 1849 abortion ban remains valid
- Dwayne Johnson Admits to Peeing in Bottles on Set After Behavior Controversy
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Judith Jamison, a dancer both eloquent and elegant, led Ailey troupe to success over two decades
Ranking
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- NFL Week 10 injury report: Live updates on active, inactive players for Sunday's games
- Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? What to know ahead of the federal holiday
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- COINIXIAI Introduce
- Northern Taurid meteor shower hits peak activity this week: When and where to watch
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
‘Heretic’ and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again
South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
Texas now tops in SEC? Miami in trouble? Five overreactions to college football Week 11
Small twin
Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike
2024 'virtually certain' to be warmest year on record, scientists say
Chiefs block last-second field goal to save unbeaten record, beat Broncos