Woman Gets Proposed to During Her Surprise Cancer Remission Party: 'Completely in Shock' (Exclusive)
Zoe Plastiras, who has been battling Lymphoma for the past two years, was told she was officially cancer-free in October
A woman celebrated more than beating cancer at her remission party.
Another surprise was in store for Zoe Plastiras — who was told she was cancer-free last 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!"
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."
A video posted on Plastiras' TikTok page, filmed by That Content Girl, captures moments from the remission party at The Bull hotel in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. The party included a DJ, singer MaryKate, a backdrop piece that read "Celebrating Zoe F— Cancer" and a cake from Aching Yet Baking with a "Zoe Beat Cancer!" sign.
Related: Bride Mad After Future Sister-in-Law Announced Pregnancy at Her Bachelorette Party
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 with a 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.