A distraught man has opened up about how he lost his wife to cancer after her symptoms were dismissed by different doctors.
Ben Debono, from the Central Coast in NSW, and his bride Leah tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in front of loved ones in October last year.
But just three months after exchanging their vows, Leah lost her battle with melanoma – an aggressive form of skin cancer – at the age of 29.
Appearing on 60 Minutes, to be aired on Sunday night, the young tradesman broke down in tears as he described their ‘perfect’ lives together before she tragically died.
Ben Debono, from Central Coast in NSW, and his bride Leah tied the knot in October last year
‘Leah will always be my wife, and my soulmate,’ he told reporter Allison Langdon.
The then-25-year-old woman had an unusual mole on her arm dismissed by two different doctors who both said she had nothing to worry about.
But after meeting her husband-to-be, Leah decided to get the lump removed. But a biopsy revealed she had a stage-four malignant melanoma.
‘That’s the worst one you can get,’ Ben said.
She was given the all-clear after having the surrounding lymph nodes removed.
Just three months after exchanging their vows, Leah lost her battle with melanoma – an aggressive form of skin cancer – at the age of 29
The young newlyweds had dreamed about travelling around Australia on their honeymoon
For the next three years, she went for regular check-ups – and her final appointment was just a week before her wedding day
For the next three years, she went for regular check-ups – and her final appointment was just a week before her wedding day.
And every check- up she attended, Leah was reassured she was cancer free.
Around a month after their big day, the newlyweds assumed they were expecting their first baby together when Leah started to feel unwell – but her GP explained the symptoms were just post-wedding stress.
But by the time she was rushed to hospital after she collapsed at work, the disease had spread all over her body.
‘She rang me up and she was all hysterical – like she knew straight away that something was wrong,’ Ben recalled.
‘At the time of the wedding she was riddled with cancer.’
The man broke down in tears as he described their ‘perfect’ lives together before she died
The then-25-year-old woman had an unusual mole on her arm dismissed by two different doctors who both said she had nothing to worry about
Following her death, he quit his job and sold their home to fulfil their dream of travelling around Australia, with a photo of his wife by his side – and their dog Turbo
She tragically died three months later.
‘I never thought I would be thrown into any of this,’ Ben said.
‘I was holding onto her till the end.’
And more than a year on, the young man been embarking on what should’ve been their honeymoon.
Following her death, he quit his job and sold their home to fulfil their dream of travelling around Australia, with a photo of his wife by his side.
Ben has been travelling on the road with their kelpie dog named Turbo in their Landcruiser four-wheel-drive.
By telling their heartbreaking story, Ben – who has raised $40,000 for the Melanoma Institute – wanted to warn other Australians about the dangers of cancer.
‘For the Love of Leah’ airs on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes at 8.30pm on Sunday.