A dying wish of a terminally ill 24-year-old man came true as he married the love of his life, a girl who suffers from the same disease as he does, in a race-against-time wedding.
Darren Easton, who’s been receiving his end-of-life care since his donor’s lungs gave up, is a cystic fibrosis sufferer who was told he only has weeks left to enjoy life.
Before he could rest in peace, however, Darren was hoping for his final wish to come true. He wanted to marry the love of his life, Lauren Pope, who he fell in love with after meeting her at the funeral of another cystic fibrosis sufferer.
The couple, who met in 2015, now exchanged their vows in front of teary-eyed friends and family at the Harefield Hospital in London.
After the ceremony, the frail 24-year-old lovebird said:
“When I knew I was going to die, we were going to do all we could to get married. More than anything I want Lauren to be happy – and to know even after I’m gone, I’ll always be with her.”
His newly-found wife, Lauren, added: “I know the vows say till death do us part, but it’s not for us. Our love goes beyond that and will last long after both of us have gone.”
Allegedly, Darren proposed to Lauren back in 2016, but the couple couldn’t afford to marry until now due to their tough financial situation. Fortunately, their dream became a reality as they were able to raise $4,000 in donations to pay for the wedding.
Despite having to rest during the ceremony, the 24-year-old mechanic was able to gather enough strength to ditch his wheelchair and have the first dance with Lauren who is a hairstylist by profession.
When their love was still in its early stages, the couple was living together at Lauren’s flat in Watford. Speaking of their relationship, Darren said:
“Living together was amazing. We had an unusual relationship, though. Most couples argue over what to watch on TV. We argued about fridge space for our medicines.”
Not long after this experience, Darren’s health began worsening and he had to be admitted to the hospital.
Fortunately, both families stepped together and helped the young couple fulfill their final wish.
“It was the greatest day ever. My only concern now is Lauren will be stable. I have put away money for her as well as a box of my things to keep. I want her to be happy,” Darren said.
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