A dad who had been battling a rare form of cancer has died just days after getting married.
Chris McGinnis, 35, married wife Mel, 29, on May 4, but tragically passed away on May 10, six days after the pair wedded, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Chris, dad to Onora, 3, and Nuala, 1, was diagnosed with Metastasis Cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of bile duct cancer, in early February, after visiting the doctor with symptoms of tiredness, loss of appetite and a dull ache in his lower back.
Medics found that Chris had multiple tumours on his liver and they were deemed inoperable.
His diagnosis was terminal, but doctors wanted Chris to have chemotherapy to help the dad of two live for an additional year or more.
However, with the side effects and also the limited benefits., it was decided that Chris would discontinue the treatment.
Tragically one month later in March, doctors told friends and family that Chris only had months left.
Following his death, loved ones want to encourage others to get regular health checks.
One old pal, Natasha Walker, 33, said: "He was just the funniest, nicest guy, ever. He doted on Mel and the girls and everything was about providing for them and taking care of them.
"He worked so hard for them. This has come completely out of the blue. The family are devastated.
"Onora is coming up to four, she was a daddy's girl through and through, and she's finding it difficult. She keeps saying things that are breaking everyone's hearts."
After halting chemotherapy, Chris returned home to try to enjoy life with Mel and the children but struggled to stay active.
Natasha, added: "Up until the day he got married, he had been on the sofa a lot.
"He pulled the energy, out of, I have no idea where, for that day. After that, it was a very quick decline."
Natasha created a GoFundMe appeal in memory of Chris, and to give his two young girls a trust fund.
She said: "It would be nice for the girls to have something in his memory. It's not just having the unexpected costs of the funeral.
"It's really to raise as much as possible to leave the girls a trust fund in their daddy's name because that's all he would have wanted, he would have wanted them to have been taken care of for the future, and to have that time to grieve.
"We want there to be something there for the girls in the future. As a friendship group, we all feel very helpless. It's good for our focus to be on helping to raise funds for them as much as we can."
Natasha wants to use the opportunity to encourage others to not ignore any symptoms.
Natasha said: "Don't ignore the smallest thing [health problems] just make sure you got to get checked out and appreciate the time you have with family and friends because in a couple of months, it's completely changed a family's life.
"If you're feeling unwell in any way, go get checked out. Chris was healthy and was really young and in a matter of months, he's not here."
The Chris McGinnis Memorial Fund has raised more than £6,000 since it was created on May 14. You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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