Current:Home > FinanceOlympian Madeline Musselman Honors Husband Pat Woepse After Fatal Cancer Battle -Global Capital Summit
Olympian Madeline Musselman Honors Husband Pat Woepse After Fatal Cancer Battle
View
Date:2025-04-15 05:31:12
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! (927)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Over 1.4 million Honda, Acura vehicles subject of US probe over potential engine failure
- Officer injured at Ferguson protest shows improvement, transferred to rehab
- Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- Full House Star Dave Coulier Shares Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Diagnosis
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- 'Yellowstone' premiere: Record ratings, Rip's ride and Billy Klapper's tribute
- Driver dies after crashing on hurricane-damaged highway in North Carolina
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Horoscopes Today, November 11, 2024
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- Residents urged to shelter in place after apparent explosion at Louisville business
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes
Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election