Girl, 10 has dream 'wedding' to childhood sweetheart days before dying of cancer
A ten year-old girl who dreamed of being married has tied the knot with her childhood sweetheart just days before dying of leukaemia.
Emma Edwards was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in April last year but parents Alina, 39, and Aaron, 41, say they were hopeful that she'd be able to beat the illness. But in June the family were given the heartbreaking news that Emma's cancer was incurable and she only had days to live.
Alina says Emma's dream was to marry boyfriend of two years, ten-year-old Daniel Marshall Christopher Williams Junior, also known as DJ, with the pair previously attempting to 'wed' at school during lunchtime when they were eight.
Family and friends decided to band together to make Emma's dream come true and a ceremony was held for the young couple on June 29 where 100 guests turned up to watch them tie the knot.
For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
Emma Edwards 'tied the knot' with her childhood sweetheart (Kennedy News/Erick Messer)Aaron walked Emma down the aisle in her gran's garden while their third-grade teacher made a speech about how the pair's relationship began.
Emma sadly passed away on July 11 but stay-at-home mum Alina and welder Aaron said they're grateful they could help her achieve her dream before she died.
Alina, from Walnut Cove, North Carolina, US, said: "Most kids want to go to Disneyland but Emma wanted to get married, be a wife and have three kids. She was a sweetheart. I always say we must have made marriage look really fun because that's all she wanted.
Family members came together to watch Daniel and Emma 'wed' (Kennedy News/Erick Messer)
Mum Alina and dad Aaron were given the heartbreaking news that Emma's cancer was incurable (Kennedy News/Erick Messer)"Their teacher spoke at their wedding and said they tried to have a wedding at recess. They had a bridesmaid and groomsmen and kids came to class with clip on ties. It was really cute but the teacher said there wasn't going to be a wedding in her class.
"When me and DJ's mum found that out, we said we had to let them get married. It had to happen super fast. We threw it together in less than two days, everything ended up being donated. It was so precious and it came together so well. Her dad gets to say he gave her away.
100 guests turned up to watch them tie the knot (Kennedy News/Erick Messer)"A friend of ours officiated, a friend read a verse from the bible and her best friend was maid of honour. Everyone got to see her who hadn't been able to. When you have cancer, you're secluded. Emma was a social butterfly so it was hard for her to be away from everyone. Her doctors came, nurses, teachers, family, friends, everybody.
"She was in a lot of pain when we got her dressed. It wore her out but she wanted to hold off on pain meds because she didn't want to fall asleep at her wedding. DJ is the sweetest soul you'll ever meet. He has a heart of gold and he really loves Emma."
Family and friends decided to band together to make Emma's dream come true (Kennedy News and Media)
The pair are childhood sweethearts (Kennedy News and Media)Alina and Aaron were taking Emma for a new course of treatment when they received the 'gut-punching' news that she wasn't going to be able to beat the illness.
Mum-of-five Alina said: "We were going for another kind of treatment and they told us that she probably had days to a week, not weeks. We didn't expect to hear that at all. We thought we were going for another kind of treatment and it would work. It was like a gut punch. You never imagine them saying they can't do anything else for her."
Alina says that Emma seemed to be a healthy child until they took her to hospital because she fell over (Kennedy News and Media)
Emma was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in April last year (Kennedy News and Media)Alina says that Emma seemed to be a healthy child until they took her to hospital because she fell over and medics discovered the cancer in the bones in her legs in April 2022.
Nail salon refuses to serve disabled teen saying it 'doesn't do people like her'
However, she says medics advised that the cancer was 'common' in children and was likely to be curable, but sadly that wasn't the case for Emma.
Emma in hospital with mum Alina (Kennedy News and Media)Alina said: "She was never sick before. All of a sudden, she started throwing up. We found it by accident. She had fallen so they checked her legs and they found the cancer was eating holes in her bones and making her weak.
"They said it was treatable and curable. A lot of children fight for two to three years and a lot of times they beat it. It's a common childhood cancer. Emma was rare because whatever they thought would happen, she did the opposite."
What is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia?
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells. It progresses quickly and aggressively and requires immediate treatment. Both adults and children can be affected.
Emma passed away after being diagnosed with leukemia (Kennedy News and Media)Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is rare, with around 790 people diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK. Most cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia develop in children, teenagers and young adults.
Although it is rare, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common type of leukaemia that affects children. About 85% of the cases that affect children happen in those younger than 15 (mostly between the ages of 0 and 5). It affects slightly more boys than girls.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
