Couple tie knot in last-minute wedding after discovering son, 8, has just weeks to live
AN EMOTIONAL, last-minute wedding has been held after a couple were told their son, eight, has just weeks to live.
Hannah Cowlishaw and Henry Matthews hastily arranged their nuptials a year early so Ethan - who has terminal brain cancer - could enjoy their special day.
Doctors told Hannah, 33, and Henry, 30, that the tumour, which Ethan had previously been successfully treated for, had returned and spread to his spine.
The couple, from Stotfold in Herts, were told that their football-mad son had a month to live.
So, with the help of family and friends, they managed to quickly arrange their nuptials so that Ethan could take part in the big day and - just as importantly - would be in their precious wedding photos.
The couple got married in St Mary's Church, Stotfold, in an emotion-packed ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
Ethan, wearing a smart waistcoat, was centre stage as the couple exchanged their vows.
He watched them while sitting in a wheelchair, with a Man United pillow tucked behind his back for comfort.
Ethan then posed for pics with his parents and other family members inside and outside the church.
Hannah, a part-time dinner lady, said: "The whole community have come together and we've been inundated with offers from everyone.
"My work colleague has been incredible and organised so much.
"Ethan woke me up in the middle of [Tuesday] night saying 'you're getting married tomorrow!'
"He's been so excited."
Landscape gardener Henry, who is Ethan's stepdad, added: "We were supposed to get married sometime in the summer next year.
";But after the news last Tuesday, we obviously had to bring it forward.
"We saw the vicar the day after the news at the hospital and he's been great.
"I think one of the hardest aspects to sort out was a wedding license but he managed to pull it off in just a week."
Ethan, who is Hannah's son from a previous relationship, was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2016.
Following an operation and chemotherapy he was given the all-clear in January 2017.
Henry added: "We were told initially that he had a virus, but Hannah kept pushing and a scan showed that there was a mass on his head and bits in his spine.
"He had surgery on his head and chemo for all of it.
"It got rid of it all and he even rung the bell to say he got the all-clear."
But in January last year, the couple were given the devastating blow that a scan showed the cancer had returned and was in Ethan's head and spine.
reported at the time that Ethan had to go through gruelling radiotherapy for medulloblastoma in his brain.
HEADACHES AND BACK PAIN
Hannah, who works as a dinner lady at Ethan's school, told the paper that he was "suffering a lot of back pain, and is starting to get headaches again."
More than £2,500 was raised by the community to help pay towards specialist medical care, and trips for Ethan, along with his brothers Brandon and Jack.
Ethan had radiotherapy and an operation to remove 96 per cent of the cancer from his spine.
But, last week the family received the news that they had been dreading - the cancer is terminal and Ethan has just four weeks left to live.
Hannah added: "We sort of knew anyway because he was getting worse but it's still a shock.
"He deteriorated so quickly within three months.
"I think he knows."
What is medulloblastoma?
Medulloblastoma is a type of cancerous brain tumour that can sometimes affect adults but mostly happens to kids.
It causes about 10 per cent of all childhood cancer deaths.
Medulloblastoma is commonly found in children between the ages of three and eight - with a high occurrence in boys.
It starts in or near what is called the cerebellum, an area in the brain that controls motor skills, and can spread to other parts of the brain or spinal cord.
Children with medulloblastoma are currently given a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But these can have numerous debilitating side-effects, including impaired brain function, growth deficits and social problems.
Symptoms are usually caused by increased pressure on the brain.
They may include:
- Abrupt onset of headaches, especially in the morning
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Feeling extremely tired
- Loss of balance and co-ordination which may lead to difficulty walking
- Abnormal eye movements
- Blurry vision caused by swelling of the optic disc at the back of the eye
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