A couple are planning to renew their wedding vows because terminal brain cancer means the husband can't remember their wedding day. Kirsty and Wayne Chorlton from Porth got married in 2015 after Wayne, then 29, was given the devastating diagnosis that he had brain cancer.
While copious rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy since the original diagnosis has meant that the impact of the cancer has been kept at bay Wayne has now been told that nothing more can be done. The cancer has now spread to further parts of his brain and spinal cord and he has been told it is now terminal.
Wayne, who is now 38, already suffered with short-term memory loss after a car crash aged 18 but his wife Kirsty said a two-hour-long seizure which left Wayne in a coma in November has meant that he has lost large parts of his memories – including those of his wedding day.
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Now the couple, who have two daughters aged four and two, have decided to renew their wedding vows while they still can. Kirsty said: "Wayne was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 he went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy and that worked for a while. It didn't cure it – but it put it at bay for a long long time.
"In 2021 we were told his cancer was growing again and he went through another round of chemotherapy which also helped. But this week he was told by the oncologist there wasn't anything else they could do because they think it's spread to his spinal cord.
"They immediately stopped all treatment. The only treatment he can have now is two weeks of radiotherapy. That won't do a lot but will give him some more time. It won't cure the cancer but will give him a little bit longer with the girls."
Kirsty, whose eldest daughter is autistic and nonverbal, said doctors were hoping to start the latest round of radiotherapy on March 6. This will entail 14 cycles over the course of a fortnight. "If that doesn't work it will be the case of making him comfortable until the inevitable happens," she added.
They want to renew their vows before he starts the radiotherapy as this will leave him bedbound and seriously unwell. "The oncologist said that Wayne is more than welcome to try the radiotherapy but that the first time he had it he was quite unwell with that and this time is going to be much worse. But Wayne has said he will do anything to have more time with the girls."
Kirsty said Wayne cannot remember their first wedding day due to the amount of treatment he has had. He also had radiotherapy on the day of their wedding. She added: "It is really emotional at the minute. Since Monday I don't think there's been a day where we haven't cried. It breaks my heart because he is a fantastic father to the kids. I'm still in a daze – I don't want to accept it. It just knocked him for six. We just want to make lots of memories."
The couple, who have been together for 13 years, hope to have an "intimate" ceremony with just family and friends similar to their actual wedding. A fundraiser has been set up by Kirsty's mother Kathleen to try and organise some donations for the pair's second big day. It reads: "Wayne and Kirsty would like to renew their wedding vows as Wayne is unable to remember their actual wedding. It would be absolutely amazing if they were able to do this with a little bit of help. A chance to make a few small memories for their children. I am not asking for all monetary donations – if any talented individuals could help in some way with dresses for three girls aged seven, four, and two; maybe a cake? This is a truly heartbreaking situation for us all and any help will be so greatly appreciated." You can find the fundraiser here.
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