Cancer bride dies 90 minutes after wedding service (From This Is Lancashire)

Cancer bride dies 90 minutes after wedding service

9:46am Thursday 7th February 2008 in

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A TERMINALLY ill Bury woman fulfilled her last wish by marrying her partner just 90 minutes before she died.

The poignant ceremony involving cancer sufferer Elaine Stephenson and Chris Johnson took place at Bury Hospice on Saturday after the couple had obtained a special licence.

Just a short time after the wedding Elaine died with her husband and her 17-year-old son Ashley, by a previous marriage, at her bedside.

Originally Elaine (48), and 50-year-old Chris, of Campbell Close, Walshaw, had planned to get married on her birthday, August 16. But when her condition began to deteriorate, the couple decided to bring forward the date of their wedding.

Elaine, who had earlier beaten the disease twice, was a past winner of the Bury Council-sponsored Tower FM Bury's Local Hero award in 2006.

The former staff nurse, who worked at Bury General and Fairfield Hospitals for more than 20 years, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2002. After treatment, the illness re-occurred in 2004 and again last year.

Chris said: "It had been our wish to marry this August on Elaine's birthday. But obviously, because she became worse with cancer, we had to bring it forward. Elaine had been in Christie Hospital for a long time. But she was sent home because there was nothing more they could do.

"While at home, I made contact with Macmillan Nurses and made enquiries about getting married at home. There was no way Elaine could get to a church."

After being admitted to Bury Hospice last Friday, and knowing she was dying, Elaine was anxious that the wedding took place as soon as possible."

Added Chris: "The arrangements were made on the Saturday morning and the registrar applied for a special licence for us.

"The wedding had been originally arranged for the evening."

But as Elaine's condition worsened, it was decided to bring the ceremony forward. The marriage was conducted by registrar superintendent Graeme Ramsden and witnessed by 20 family and friends. "When she died an hour-and-a-half later, only myself and her son were at her bedside."

Chris, who works as a security manager with TNT, draws strength from the fact that Elaine's dying wish came true.

"She had also wanted to visit Australia last Christmas and, thankfully, was able to do so.

"She had wanted to see her son go to university, but unfortunately Elaine didn't live to see that.

"We had been together 11 years."

After illness forced her to give up her nursing job five years ago, she was a volunteer at the local Bury Cancer Support Centre where staff offer complementary therapy and counselling for patients.

Previously, Elaine married Barry Stephenson in 1990 but the couple parted six years later. Her former husband said: "Elaine had beaten the cancer twice. By rights, she should have died some time ago. But it was her sheer strength and determination which had kept her alive."

A funeral service will be held at St Anne's Church, Tottington, next Tuesday , at noon followed by committal at East Lancashire Crematorium in Radcliffe.