A devastated mum has spoken of her heartbreak after her 'beautiful' 34-year-old husband died on their second wedding anniversary.
Caolon 'Kal' Donahue passed away on April 10 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer just a year after he tied the knot with his beloved Kerrie.
A barber by trade, he ran his own business Kals Barbers for over a decade and was a popular figure in his hometown of Westhoughton, near Bolton.
Kerrie has now bravely spoken of how the family will struggle to imagine life without him, and thanked the nurses who helped him throughout his illness.
She said: "Our hearts are completely broken, Kal was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without him and his infectious smile and beautiful blue eyes.
“Thank you to all the nurses who have supported him in his care throughout, he fought till the very end.
“I’ll be forever proud of him, love you forever my soul mate.”
She previously told Manchester Evening News of how Kal's health took a sudden and unexpected turn just twelve months after their "perfect" wedding, where they had their three children by their side.
In April 2022, Kal suddenly began to suffer excruciating headaches which caused him to vomit and lose his balance.
After collapsing in hospital, he was rushed through for a CT scan, which sadly revealed two tumours in the back of his head.
A further full-body MRI scan revealed that the primary source of cancer had been in his bowel.
Recalling the shocking moment the couple were given the results, she said: "We were told that that the tumours in his brain were secondary cancer and that the primary source was in his bowel, where they had found a superior size mass – which had also spread to his liver and lungs.
"We couldn't believe what we were hearing – we just didn’t understand. Why? How?
Kerrie added that doctors told them it wasn't possible to operate as the cancer has spread too far, but advised that he took a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to try and shrink the tumours and give him a better quality of life
Kal's diagnosis sparked a heroic fundraising effort from those close to him, with his brother-in-law Peter Ball running five marathons in five days to raise money for him and his family.
A JustGiving fundraiser to sponsor his runs eventually raised £26,570 of £20,000 goal, with many leaving their thoughts and prayers for Kal on the page and praising Peter's efforts.
