A man from Sunderland married the love of his life from his bedside after he was tragically diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given just two months left to live.
Gavin and Caroline Donnelly hastily brought their wedding forward and got married on August 19 at their Silksworth home surrounded by loved ones after Gavin was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was previously diagnosed with sarcoma in his left leg four years ago but after going through chemotherapy he was given the all-clear.
However, in December 2021, he began suffering from what he believed was sciatica pain in his right leg. The pain continued so in January, he went to the doctors where they did a number of scans and sadly Gavin, 33, was told the cancer had returned with a vengeance.
He was told that he had cancer in his right leg and that it was pressing against his sciatica nerves which was causing the pain. Sadly the cancer was found in his right leg, his lung, his bowel, his liver, and his spleen. And recently the couple was told the cancer had now spread to Gavin's pelvis and that he only has two months left to live.
His new-wife Caroline, 25, said: "We had planned to get married next year but Gavin's consultant told him to bring our wedding forward because Gavin wouldn't be around next year.
"I spoke to the consultant over the phone because I had questions and I asked how bad the cancer was. I was told it was really aggressive and that Gavin only has a couple of months left to live. It has now spread to his pelvis."
Gavin didn't start chemotherapy until April as he had to endure three operations due to a blockage in his bowel, as well as developing infections, and then catching Covid-19. And Caroline, who has become his full-time carer, said Gavin is now bed-bound due to extreme swelling in his leg.
Caroline said: "I can see him getting worse each day and it's awful. He's getting more confused and he's lost so much weight because he's not eating or even drinking as much. It's horrible seeing him like this.
"In January, he was still walking around but now he's completely bedbound because his right leg has swollen so much. We had a hospital bed delivered to the house and I have become his full-time carer now. I was being stubborn as I wanted to do everything for Gavin but I've had to ask for carers now to help.
"It's just so hard remembering how he was before and seeing him now. Gavin is finding it really hard at the moment, little things will make him cry. He just wishes everything was back to normal, he doesn't want to be like this anymore. I never leave his side, I constantly want to be around him."
The couple, who met in September 2020, got engaged in March this year and had planned to get married next year. However, after Gavin was given just two months left to live, they wed from Gavin's bed as they didn't want to be left with any regrets.
Caroline said: "It was still a magical day, it was just as special as anyone else's wedding day. We got engaged in March 2022 and we weren't planning on getting married until next year but we didn't want something to happen before we got the chance to get married. I didn't want to have any regrets down the line."
Following Gavin's devastating diagnosis, the couple has vowed to make the most of the little time they have left. A Go Fund Me page was also set up to help raise money which will go towards making Gavin's time the most enjoyable it can be while also putting money away for his funeral.
Caroline explained: "Gavin wants to go to the beach and he wants a camera so he can make a scrapbook so any money raised will help with that but it will also go towards his funeral. His family has been so supportive so that's been a huge help.
"I was not expecting to hear two months and I'm his full-time carer now so the thought of raising funds for a funeral in two months has been really stressful and I've been really upset thinking about it. It's too much to think about.
"But we were shocked at how many people donated to the page. We can't thank everyone enough for all their support and if we can hit our target of £5,000 then that would just be amazing."
So far more than £3,100 has been raised. Caroline has been sharing her and Gavin's journey on TikTok and has been blown away by the response. If you would like to donate to the Go Fund Me page, you can do so here.
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