The father-of-11 was a great husband, and an even better father, the heartbroken bride says.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 16, 2021. It has since been updated.
When Alison Wynn was walking down the altar to get married to her partner of 21 years, Paul Wynn, she knew she didn't have a lot of time left to spend with him. But, little did she know that their wedding was the last time she would see him look at her with love in his eyes, while he waited for Alison at the altar, in a chair.
57-year-old Paul was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a week before the wedding. Alison knew something wasn't right when she arrived at her wedding venue at Saltcoats town hall in Ayrshire, Scotland.
According to New York Post, before the ceremony, Alison said, “Everything seemed to be OK, although Paul seemed to be a bit uncomfortable by this point, and his kilt had been loosened a wee bit to help him feel more comfortable.”
However, when she walked down the aisle to read out her vows to him, she noticed he was a bit slumped in his chair. “By the time I got to him, I called his name a couple of times,” she said. “He didn’t turn round, he didn’t look at me, and I realized there was something wrong, and I started breaking down, and I started shouting his name, and we knew something wasn’t right.”
Doctors had told the father-of-11 that he had cancer in May, but it was only a week before the wedding on June 25 that they found out it was terminal. He was given two months to live since the devastating diagnosis but departed too soon. The wedding was originally supposed to happen on July 16, but it was advanced due to Paul's medical condition, states a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for his funeral expenses.
According to the fundraiser, friend Jessica Sood wrote that the cancer was “in the pancreas, liver and lung.” She shared that he also had “a blood clot in [his] lung and three hernias.”
Paramedics rushed to help Paul, but unfortunately, he had already passed.
Wedding tragedy as Stevenston man dies at the altar as bride walks down aisle https://t.co/T3vRXJqkz6
— Jennifer M Jones (@jennifermjones) July 2, 2021
The heartbroken bride, who shares five children with Paul, says it's not easy. “I’m having to get up and moving every day for the sake of my children, but I can’t eat.” But, the only thing that's giving her some kind of relief is in knowing that Paul has been reunited with their child and his mother.
“Paul and I lost a child in 2004 after I had a miscarriage, so it gives me a bit of comfort that he’s up there with our child,” Alison said. “His mother passed away in 2020, so at least he’s with her now, too."
Paul was a great husband and an even better father, and as Alison says, “We were his life, he would do anything for his kids.”
“He would move heaven and Earth for his kids, and everyone loved him.” Rest in peace, Paul.
References:
https://nypost.com/2021/07/02/terminally-ill-groom-dies-at-altar-as-bride-walks-down-aisle/
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe/Help paul have the best send-off
