Woman Gets Proposed to During Her Surprise Cancer Remission Party: 'Completely in Shock' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird.Photo:Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

A woman celebrated more than beating cancer at her remission party.

Another surprise was in store forZoe Plastiras— who was toldshe was cancer-freelast month after battling two years of failed treatments — when her boyfriend of five years, Joe Bird, suddenly got down on one knee to propose to her in front of their 100 guests.

“My partner said he had a surprise for me and I had to dress up. I had suspicions of a surprise remission party… but no suspicion of getting engaged!” Plastiras exclusively tells PEOPLE. “Joe was doing a lovely speech to all our guests about my journey to remission and then he got down on one knee!”

Joe Bird proposes to Zoe Plastiras.Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

The bride-to-be was diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at the end of her pregnancy with her daughter, Ophelia, on Dec. 23, 2022.

“It was a cancer that had a 90% cure rate with first line therapy but unfortunately for me, I failed a lot of treatments,” Plastiras says. “Finally in October 2024, after receiving my life saving treatment Car T Cell Therapy, I was declared remission 90 days later on Oct. 16. I will forever be grateful to that treatment. It got me into remission and was very easy on my body compared to my other treatments.”

Joe Bird and Zoe Plastiras.Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

Plastiras' sister even made a sweet video of her cancer journey for everyone to watch.

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Only a few attendees were in on the secret proposal.

“Some family and friends knew, but he shocked pretty much everyone there including me,” says Plastiras, who was proposed to witha radiant-cut diamond ring. “Everyone was filming it and crying and cheering! I was completely in shock that he did it in front of everyone because that would be my last guess. But it was perfect and I am over the moon.”

The couple met in 2019 at a friend’s birthday party. A week later, they started dating, and the rest is history.

source: people.com