A terminally ill woman told by doctors she might not make it through the night had her last wish fulfilled by nurses who hastily organised a hospital wedding to her partner of 25 years that day.
Linda Carolan and Marcus Fellowes tied the knot in an intensive care unit surrounded by medics in blue scrubs just hours after the 50-year-old was told she didn’t have long left to live.
Linda, now Mrs Fellowes, is currently facing a gruelling battle with stage-four breast cancer and was rushed to hospital with pneumonia and sepsis.
The following day, doctors told Mrs Fellowes, whose cancer has spread to other areas of her body, that she should gather family members to say her goodbyes as they believed she might not survive the night.
Linda Carolan and Marcus Fellowes (pictured together) tied the knot in an intensive care unit surrounded by medics just hours after the 50-year-old was told she did not have long left
Her dying wish was to marry her partner of 25 years Mr Fellowes, 46, and determined staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, sprang into action.
Consultant David Slessor contacted the city’s register office who said they could be at the hospital within an hour and other staff visited shops for wedding decorations.
Just hours after her prognosis, Mrs Fellowes – wearing a pink charity shop wedding dress bought by staff – married her partner in a small ceremony on the ward with flowers, balloons and Prosecco.
The couple, who live in West Meon, Petersfield, Hampshire, with their 12-year-old son, said staff at the hospital were ‘incredible’.
Mr Fellowes said: ‘The doctor wrote a letter to the register office and they said they could be at the hospital within the hour.
‘Staff went to a charity shop to buy Linda a nice dress while others went to buy Prosecco, balloons and decorations.
‘It was incredible what they did for us, they made it a massive celebration and everyone wanted to get involved and do their part.
‘Everyone was so jubilant and you could tell they were happy for us.
‘In the darkest moment of our lives, the hospital staff stepped in and helped in more ways than we could imagine.
‘Not only did they save Linda’s life but they fulfilled her last request.’
Her dying wish was to marry her partner of 25 years Mr Fellowes, 46, and determined staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, sprang into action
Mr and Mrs Fellowes are now enjoying life as a married couple and, despite her prognosis, Mrs Fellowes has been moved from intensive care to a respiratory care ward after a sudden improvement in her health.
And the happy newlyweds are even making plans to hold a wedding celebration for their family and friends.
Mr Fellowes added: ‘It is incredible being married. It is always something we have wanted to do but we never got round to it.
‘We don’t know how long Linda has left because she is battling stage four cancer.
‘But we are going to enjoy married life and Linda is making plans for a party.
‘Because she is now married and she always wanted to get married, it has given her a new focus.’
Steve Mathieu, clinical director for critical care at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘I cannot begin to express how incredibly proud I am of our team.
‘This is a wonderful example of the multi-professional approach to delivering the highest standard of care for our patients and their loved ones.
‘We were delighted to help out and be part of this special day for Marcus and Linda.’