The wife of a man diagnosed with a rare form of cancer has told of her grief after he succumbed to the disease just five weeks after they married.
Paul Brame’s world had been turned upside down when doctors revealed he had a cancer in his liver so advanced and aggressive it was inoperable and non-curable.
He and his wife Niah, 26, from Chelmsford, Essex, were told their only hope was palliative chemotherapy which could have halted or slowed the cancer’s growth.
Paul Brame, left, married partner Niah, right, after being prompted into action when he was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer
However as matters worsened further and the tumour failed to shrink, the couple decided to marry before the illness overcame the 35-year-old shop manager.
They had tried to raise £30,000 to fund pioneering treatment not available on the NHS, but Mr Brame died on Saturday following a rapid deterioration in his health.
His wife revealed the news in a heartbreaking Facebook post, saying: ‘It breaks my heart to have to write this a million more times than my first post.
‘Deep breath… here goes… On Saturday October 14 at 8.20pm, the love of my life took his last breath which ended his pain and suffering.
Mrs Brame took to Facebook to post a heartbreaking message that revealed her husband died
‘Paul’s health deteriorated unexpectedly very quickly soon after I set up the fundraising. He developed further spread of the cancer to his bones but also pneumonia and possibly sepsis.
‘My husband fought hard to defeat the odds and right up until the end he was still fighting.
The couple, pictured, had previously been putting off marriage and children so Mrs Brame, 26, could pursue a career as a midwife
‘However our families believe that he was fighting so hard to be well for our wedding day that following it, he felt he could relax, having accomplished the greatest day of ours and our families’ lives.
‘He has left a gigantic hole in both our families’ lives and I have a hole in my heart. He was the greatest son, brother, husband and future father there ever was.
‘I will be retreating from social media again. I made our lives public for a purpose and to save Paul and although it was amazing and successful, he simply couldn’t suffer no more.
‘Thank you for everyone’s support and love, but sadly this time, cancer won. N & family.’
Mrs Brame has previously spoken about when Mr Brame found himself in excruciating pain on March 18, the day that her world changed forever.
She had said: ‘I was woken by Paul during the early hours with cries of excruciating pain in his right side and shortness of breath.
Although he was told it was not curable, the couple, pictured at their wedding, had been trying to raise £30,000 to fund pioneering treatment not available on the NHS
‘I called an ambulance, he was reviewed with no concerns and told to monitor. Paul being Paul, woke up the following morning still in pain but continued to go to work as he didn’t want to let his colleagues down even though he was doubled up in pain.’
Mr Brame, who was a store manager and buyer at Zagger on Bond Street in London, was in such pain he was only able to work for a few hours before coming home.
A trip to the out-of-ours GP led to the initial diagnosis of gall stones in the liver which needed to be removed.
But within 24 hours the couple were given the earth-shattering news that Mr Brame could have liver cancer.
‘I was standing beside Paul gripping his hand when the consultant came into the bay, drew the curtains and told us that at aged 35 years old Paul’s scans were showing signs of cancer in his liver,’ said Mrs Brame.
Mrs Brame, left at her wedding, had previously said she ‘would not lose her husband (right) to something so nasty and so young’
The couple were told to come back the next day, with both of them praying that there had been a terrible mistake.
But there was no reprieve from the doctors at Broomfield Hospital, who told Mr Brame his cancer, which had not revealed itself with any symptoms until that weekend, was incurable.
As the shell-shocked couple went their local pub, The Duke of Wellington, to try and digest the news, Mr Brame decided to seize the moment to propose.
Mrs Brame said: ‘It was overwhelming, heart-wrenching but wonderful at the same time. It’s not how I expected it to be but it was nonetheless amazing.’
The couple had put off marriage and children so Mrs Brame could pursue her dream of becoming a midwife but his horrifying diagnosis shocked them into action.
The couple raised nearly £30,000 towards immunotherapy during the fundraising campaign
As they began to make plans for their happy day, Mr Brame received another devastating update from his doctors.
The news was that his full diagnosis was cholangiocarcinoma cancer of unknown primary with liver metastases.
This meant that the source of the disease could not be found and had spread to the liver in such a vast amount that it was not only inoperable, it was incurable.
The situation left them wondering how they would ever overcome such a terrible outcome.
Mr Brame, whose cancer is more often seen in people over the age of 65, went in for his first treatment in June where he developed blood clots in both lungs.
Shortly after being discharged, he was back again admitted this time with pneumonia and larger clots in his lungs.
Mr Brame previously worked as a shop manager until he was struck by ‘excruciating pains’ in his side that turned out to be cancer
A scan at the end of July showed the cancer had not slowed and so another line of treatment was followed.
Having been in hospital for a week, the pair decided it was time to get married promptly, as neither could stand the idea of him not being able to stand at the alter or enjoy the day.
They wed on September 10 at West Street Vineyard in Coggeshall, surrounded by their family and friends.
Mrs Brame said: ‘It was more than I could have ever hoped it would be because he was so well and he was able to walk and talk and enjoy himself.
‘I probably didn’t have the normal feelings for a wedding day but still it was incredibly humbling and I’m so grateful we were able to do it.’