Cancer patient gets married in emotional hospice wedding

By Adam Dutton

A dying cancer patient has married his girlfriend after strangers rallied to organize an emotional ceremony at his hospice bedside.

Karl Marsh, 52, had hoped to wed Sarah, 42, at a registry office, but the couple changed their plans when his health deteriorated.

Karl, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May last year, is being given palliative care at Katharine House Hospice in Stafford.

Staff transformed his room into a makeshift wedding chapel for the couple who said ‘I do’ on Remembrance Sunday.

Heartbreaking photos show Karl holding hands and exchanging vows with his bride as he lay in his hospice bed.

The moving wedding ceremony was organized in less than 48 hours thanks to the generosity of strangers.

The couple, who both live in Stafford, were originally planning to tie the knot on November 22.

But after the cancer spread to Karl's lungs, bones and brain, the wedding was brought forward to Sunday.

Thanks to the hospice staff, well-wishers paid for flowers, venue dressing, a cake and everything else required for the event.

A white carpet was also laid at the door of the room so Sarah could walk down the aisle in front of 30 family and friends.

The couple were surrounded by friends and family as they said their vows during the tear-jerking ceremony.

Sarah said: “We should have done it years ago.

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“One evening we just looked at each other and said, ‘Shall we get married?’ – and that was that.”

The couple first met in 2010 as friends before becoming a couple in 2022.

They only decided to get married after Karl was diagnosed with cancer last May.

Last month Karl’s health went down hill and he was transferred to the hospice where he continues having radiotherapy.

Sarah added: “We planned for his return home, but after five days he developed a chest infection and had to go back into the hospital.

“When he came home again, I felt his symptoms had worsened, so I liaised with the charity’s doctors and planned his re-admission on Saturday, 8 November.

“However, we had our wedding planned for 22 November, and we decided we wanted to bring this forward.

“When Karl is here, he feels safe and relaxed.

“The team are incredible, nothing is ever too much. What they did for us was beyond words.

“It truly was the best day we could have wished for.”

The couple were married by Reverend David Clark who appealed for a special wedding licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office.

He said: “It was a joy to officiate at Sarah and Karl’s wedding and a privilege to be invited into their lives at such a time.

“They taught me a great deal about love, resilience and tenderness.

“The hospice team worked wonders, transforming their Therapy and Wellbeing Centre into a beautiful wedding venue.”