"The day after we got married I had a funny feeling. I saw a rainbow from my house to the hospital and I thought, that's it," recalled the grieving groom.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 15, 2020. It has since been updated.
Every wedding is special. It's meant to be a moment of joy that marks the beginning of a beautiful, lifelong journey with your spouse. However, for mom-of-seven Katrina Scott, that journey as a wife to the love of her life only lasted 24 hours before her battle with liver cancer took her away from her family on November 15, 2019, according to Mirror UK.
The 32-year-old Mickleover care worker had always dreamed of marrying her partner of 10 years, Jay Scott. "She had always wanted to marry me but we never had the time or money to do it," said her devastated husband to Derbyshire Live. And then she was diagnosed with liver cancer. The 48-year-old father told the news outlet that he and his late wife had gone in for a routine check-up in August 2019 but then started to worry a bit when the results didn't come back.
He mentioned that at the time, the whole family including seven children, Callum, 13, Levi, 9, Tyler, 11, twins Kaitlin-Rose and Poppy-Mae, 6 and Lillie-Rose, 7, and his daughter from his previous marriage, Ayesha, 22, were on holiday in Torquay, but he "knew in my mind there was something wrong".
After going through a liver biopsy in September, they received news that would change their whole life. Katrina was told she had stage four liver cancer which had spread to the lungs and bile duct, making it terminal. He stated that his wife had suffered from a bad back for more than three years, which "was the liver cancer the whole time". Knowing that there was now a time limit on their happiness together, they decided to fulfill Katrina's dream.
"My eldest daughter, Katrina's step-daughter Ayesha, set up a Just Giving page for our wedding," said Jay. "Our wedding was planned for November 25 but we had to move it because the doctors said she wouldn't make it." So on November 14, the couple exchanged their vows in front of family and friends at the Royal Derby Hospital, England, according to TW News.
However, "The day after we got married I had a funny feeling. I saw a rainbow from my house to the hospital and I thought, that's it. I went down to the hospital, to the Macmillan unit, and I knew it as soon as I looked into her eyes. It was so quick," said Jay.
"She fought until that day and died 24 hours later. But I've got pictures of her smiling, that's the main thing," recalled the heartbroken groom. "Going to school to pick the children up, knowing what I knew, was the hardest walk of my life. They had already said goodbye to their mum which was very important."
He wanted to give his wife a good send-off. Jay also mentioned that she told him she wanted everyone to dress in leopard print for her funeral. He said, "She was in so much pain. I want her to have the best send-off."
As for life after Katrina's passing, it hasn't been easy. "It's devastating. We worked well together, she always made everybody laugh. We worked very hard for everything we had as a family. She was very popular and had a big family," Jay, a builder and landscaper, told Derbyshire Live. "Being a dad is a job I'm proud of. It's going to be hard but people's kindness and thoughts make a bad day a little bit better. That's how I will get through it. I'm a proud man and I don't ask for help, but her friends are keeping me strong."
Barely a week after the Scotts lost the woman they loved, family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help the family through the funeral expenses.
As for the loved ones Katrina left behind, we wish them all the best and our condolences.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-seven-dies-just-24-20924758
https://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/courageous-mum-of-seven-dies-24-hours-after-dream-wedding
