A Hucknall dad has died just days after getting married following a battle with a rare cancer. Chris McGinnis married his partner Mel on May 4, but sadly succumbed to the disease on May 10, six days after the pair wedded.
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.
Medical professionals discovered that the 35-year-old electrician had multiple tumours on his liver which were deemed inoperable. His diagnosis was terminal, but doctors initially wanted to attempt chemotherapy to help the dad of two live for an additional year.
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But due to the side effects and its limited benefits, it was decided that Chris would discontinue the treatment. By March, doctors told friends and family that he only had months left - now his loved ones want to encourage others to get regular health checks.
Natasha Walker, who has been a friend of Chris and Mel's for around 12 years, 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, 29 and Onora and Nuala, but struggled with keeping active. Natasha, a 33-year-old trademark attorney, 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 has now started a GoFundMe appeal in memory of Chris, and to help his two young girls have a trust fund in his name.
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."
Chris' loved ones also want to encourage others to get regular health check-ups. While they say it is difficult to know whether he would still be here if the cancer had been caught sooner, his family and friends are now encouraging 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.
Chris' funeral will be held at Bramcote Crematorium. A date is yet to be set.
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