As her parents’ wedding day neared, four-year-old Paige would proudly tell everyone she met that she was going to be their flower girl.
Then Paige was unexpectedly diagnosed with brain cancer and given just days to live. Her big dream of seeing her parents say ‘I do’ suddenly seemed impossible.
But her aunt Innez Stonnell decided to make Paige’s greatest wish come true, planning a beautiful wedding at her hospital in just 24 hours.
It was a magical night for a family that has been living in a nightmare for the past eight weeks.
Four-year-old Paige fulfilled her dream to be a flower girl at her parents’ wedding after they rushed the ceremony when she was given just a week to live
Paige’s parents Tania Miller and Jacob Skarratts (pictured) were emotional as they tied the knot in a beautiful hospital ceremony just a day after receiving the devastating news
But they were overjoyed that Paige was able to be a part of their special day. For months she had excitedly been telling strangers she would be their flower girl in a wedding next year
Paige was a happy and healthy four-year-old girl when she was suddenly struck by terrible headaches two months ago.
‘She would scream in pain while she was playing,’ Innez told Daily Mail Australia. ‘We now know that was from the tumour.’
Paige’s mother Tania Miller took her daughter to the emergency room, but doctors said it was simply a headache despite the fact that her face had started to drop.
They booked Paige for a CT scan in a couple of months, but she would need the appointment far sooner.
Just a few weeks later, Paige was struck by a terrible headache once again and this time her ‘face dropped even more noticeably’, Innez said.
Her father Jacob Skarratts immediately took Paige back to the emergency room, where the pediatrician on call rushed them to a CT scan the next day.
Paige (pictured here with her mum and two-year-old sister Imogen) was diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of a lemon just weeks ago
Her mother Tania’s wedding dress was picked out by her aunt Innez Stonnell, who planned the wedding day in just 24 hours. Tania was all smiles as she got ready for the big day
The nurses helped Paige get ready in her hospital bed with a gorgeous flower girl dress
Tania became emotional as she got her hair and makeup done right next to her daughter’s bed
The loving mother had been the first to take Paige to the hospital eight weeks ago, when she got an excruciating headache that left her in tears
‘That was the day that changed our lives,’ Innez said.
The scan showed that Paige had a tumour the size of a lemon. Just days later she was taken to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane for surgery.
‘They were unable to remove the whole mass, and found out that she is terminal,’ Innez said.
Her parents decided to start Paige on chemotherapy last week in the hope of prolonging her life, but after the first night of treatment they knew something was terribly wrong.
‘Paige was vomiting and was really sick,’ Innez recalled.
‘They took her back to the hospital, where they were told that the tumour had grown back a little bigger than it was before, and she had fluid and blood on her brain.’
Doctors took Jacob and Tania into another room to deliver the heartbreaking news: There was nothing else medicine could do. Paige only had a week or two left to live.
At first doctors believed Paige was just suffering from a headache, but a few weeks later it happened again and her face began to droop. She was rushed in for a CT scan
It was then doctors found the tumour. Just days later she was taken to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane for surgery
Paige started chemotherapy last week but after the first day of treatment doctors found the tumour had grown. She was given a week or two to live
As they broke down in tears, the parents knew they wanted to get married before they lost their little girl forever. So Innez decided to start right then and there.
‘Something that they had wanted to do for so long was get married, and they couldn’t bear the thought of Paige not being there,’ Innez explained.
‘So I offered to help them and got started straight away!’
Innez decided to focus on the main aspects of a wedding. She asked the hospital for permission, found a celebrant, and picked up a wedding dress for Tania.
Others helped chip in as well. A close friend of Innez’s sister made the cake, and a mum from Paige’s kindergarten who worked with a wedding co-ordinator organised the music and decorations.
The entire wedding cost $1,000. It was a magical night that the entire family will never forget.
Tania got her makeup and hair done right next to Paige’s hospital bed and became emotional as she put on her daughter’s special gold flower girl shoes.
On the wedding day, a nurse dressed as superman wheeled Paige down the aisle so she could fulfill her flower girl duties
She was then joined by her mother Tania, who beamed as she was led down the grass courtyard in the hospital
Paige’s father Jacob couldn’t help but get emotional as he gazed at his eldest child
The entire family broke down in tears after the ceremony as they surrounded Paige
A nurse dressed up as Superman wheeled Paige down the aisle as she fulfilled her flower girl duties with two-year-old sister Imogen.
Thirty family, friends and nurses watched as Jacob and Tania each grabbed one of Paige’s hands as they met at the altar in the courtyard of the hospital.
And the parents couldn’t help but break down in tears as they hugged Paige after saying ‘I do’.
Although Paige could not open her eyes, Tania and Jacob were just happy she could be there and feel the love of her family all around her.
Paige is still fighting, and the family have raised more than $28,000 for her medical treatment on GoFundMe.
As their daughter continues to battle cancer, Tania and Peter are holding on to the beautiful memory of Paige on their wedding day – one they will now have forever.
‘It was the most special day,’ Innez said.
‘If you could bottle up the feeling of the atmosphere on the night, it would be priceless.’