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

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Zoe Plastiras, who has been battling Lymphoma for the past two years, was told she was officially cancer-free in October

Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

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!"

Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

Joe Bird proposes to Zoe Plastiras

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.

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"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." 

Courtesy of Zoe Plastiras and Joe Bird

Joe Bird and Zoe Plastiras

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.

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

@zoeplastiras

My actual dream come true to had been surprised with a remission party & to get ENGAGED!! To top this off… Joe knows how much I love @thatcontentgirl.co & she was there to film our special day🥹✨💍🤍 I cannot wait for you to film my wedding!!! Still in shock about the whole weekend 🥹✨ #proposal#proposal#engagement#fyp#cancerfree#party#engagementring#weddingtok

♬ original sound - 𝕃𝕪𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕤 - 𝕃𝕪𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕤

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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.

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