Bride dies 12 hours after marrying love of her life

Lancashire, England: A young mum suffering with tongue cancer died just 12 hours after marrying the love of her life during an emotional service.

Emma Gilhespy married RAF serviceman Michael Gilhespy in the chapel of St Johns Hospice in Lancaster.

However, on the night of their wedding Emma, who was just a month away from her 29th birthday, died in front of her new husband.

Grieving Michael, 28, said: "I was with her when she died, and I will never forget that."

Emma's heartbroken family now want to spread the word about the tongue cancer which cruelly took life and left her five-year-old lad, Callum, without his mum this Christmas.

Emma and Michael, who had been together for three years, have never spent a Christmas together due to Michael being overseas.

Michael, of Morecambe, Lancashire, said: "This year would have been our first Christmas. The first one I was in Afghanistan and last year I was in Cyprus."

Speaking about her daughter's illness, mum Debbie Grice, 56, said: "It all started with an ulcer on her tongue; she told me she kept getting it.

"In the end she went to the doctor and was referred for a biopsy last December. "On January 6 she went to get the results - she went on her own with Callum as we weren't expecting anything major - and was told it was tongue cancer."

Ailing Emma underwent two operations in a bid to fight the disease, including surgery to remove part of her tongue in February.

But despite intensive radiotherapy, the family was given the devastating news in July that the cancer was non-curative. Devastated Debbie, a domestic supervisor for the NHS who is married toEmma's dad David, said: "We were told the cancer had gone but that they would give her radiotherapy for six weeks to make sure none was left.

"Four weeks into the radiotherapy the skin on her neck starting weeping and needed to be drained.

"They kept draining it and said it was clear, but in July they thought it might be infected. We were then told the cancer had spread to her liver, lungs, neck and pelvis."

The family was stunned by just how quickly Emma's illness progressed. Just two sessions into a course of chemotherapy, consultants decided to stop the treatment as it was not working.

And when Emma was due to stay in the hospice for a couple of days in November, her family was suddenly given the devastating news that she may not survive more than 24 hours.

Debbie said: "When they said that we were gobsmacked. I don't think anyone wanted to believe what was happening.

"We had been going to hold the wedding in the hospice on November 28, but it was brought forward to the 20th. Emma didn't want to get married then, she wanted to hang on.

"I had bought a wedding dress for the day but she didn't want to wear it ; she wanted to save it. Instead, we dressed her in it in her coffin."

Non-smoker Emma, who trained as a care worker, was among a very small number of people who suffer a form of mouth cancer each year.

Michael said: "Even through the whole thing Emma never complained. She was very loving and caring, and she was just so positive about beating it."

Debbie added: "I still don't believe it has happened sometimes. It's hard to believe because she was doing so well.

"It's very unusual because it's something that usually affects heavy smokers or drinkers, and she lived a healthy lifestyle.

"Emma always said she wanted people to be more aware of tongue cancer, and how people should have regular dental checks."

Michael said: "Getting married was something we had talked about doing in the future. We had talked about buying a house and having children. "We had it all planned out for when she was better.

She really wanted to go to Venice, and we were also planning to go to Lapland. We had our whole lives ahead of us."