When Julie was being cared for on the palliative care ward, she expressed her dream to marry her long-term partner. The ward team, supported by Southmead Hospital Charity, made it happen through the charity-funded wedding box initiative.
This provides patients facing life-limiting illnesses with everything they need to celebrate their special day, even in the most challenging moments.
Julie’s daughter, Katie, shared how this transformed the final days with her mum:
“My mum was no ordinary woman. She loved celebrating and just seeing life around her, and I am so proud to say that this did not change when she got her cancer diagnosis.”
“Her last two years were hard, yes, but she made damn sure that there were happy memories built in there; one of which she decided she wanted was a celebration of love with her partner.
“I had spent days with her at home talking about where she wanted to get married; we even bought her dress before we set a date. For me it was just so beautiful to see my mum planning something for a time in the future, which I suppose is a massive thing for anyone suffering from cancer; just having something to look forward to.
“Then when she was unexpectedly admitted to Southmead Hospital and told that, due to the cancer spreading and other complications, that she would have just days to live, everything changed.
“All plans went out the window and we were just clutching onto every minute with her that we could. We actually made quite an impression on the staff as we camped out in the waiting area just outside the ward – sleeping bags and everything!
“Then, amongst all the sadness, came an opportunity for joy.
“Two lovely women from the palliative care team heard of my mums dream to marry and said these six very powerful words: “yes, we can make that happen”.
“That’s when we were introduced to Annie who was organising the charity-funded ‘wedding box’. Then before we knew it, we were orchestrating some kind of royal wedding!
“We were all expecting a cold room with a few close family members and an officiator at the front. However, it could not have been further from that.”
“The room was packed with guests, bunting, drinks, food, wedding confetti and a stand with a beautiful wedding memory box full of goodies. This box had one thing in particular that really made an impact: a photo frame with a wooden heart. That night I went home, printed a photo of the bride, groom, and put it in that frame. Then the next day, when I set it on my mum’s hospital tray in front of her, she cried and said ‘I can’t believe how you lot (the staff and us family) managed to pull off such a beautiful event’.
“That photo frame is now a capsule of that magical moment. A moment where my mum was a gorgeous bride in a vintage dress with a glass of bubbly in her hand and a huge smile on her face.
“My mum always had a way with words and there are a few which I think really encapsulate the experience we had: ‘It wasn’t the wedding I dreamt of, but it was more than I could have ever imagined.”
“Sometimes it’s not what we can’t do that matters, it’s what we can do. So, to everyone who donated and helped make this happen, thank you. You are part of the reason that, even in her last few days, my mum could have a moment of happiness surrounded by family and friends.”
