Hospital wedding: The cancer did not leave the couple any time
The reason for the early marriage at 16: The boy had cancer. He had only a few days left with his girlfriend.
Omar Al Shaikh and Amie Cresswell are both only 16 years old when they plan their wedding. Too early? The reason for the early marriage sounds absurd and yet sad reality: the couple had no time to wait.
Omar and Amie were freshly in love teens when a diagnosis made the two students grow up last June. Omar finds out he has cancer. The boy suffers from a rare form of blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The disease changes the life of the couple in one fell swoop.
While they have not thought about their future recently, they are suddenly confronted with the finite nature of their lives. Amie visits Omar regularly in the hospital, she is always at his side while fighting the cancer. The relief of the October discharge does not last long: leukemia returns a few months later.
Omar needs a stem cell donor, but the search proves to be extremely difficult due to its special Romanian-Arab roots. When finally a donor is found, it is too late. The cancer has already spread in the spinal cord, Omar is too weak for a transplant. He only has one more week to live.
So it comes that the cancer-stricken boy at the age of just 16 years makes an important decision: He wants to marry his girlfriend. Amie says yes right away. Four days later, the time has come: The wedding takes place in the hospital in Birmingham. Close friends and family have gathered to be there when Omar and Amie get their say. For a moment, both forget that their dream of growing old together will remain a dream.
But the last wish of the boy suffering from cancer comes true: He marries his girlfriend, whom he can call his wife for his last time. Three days after the wedding, Omar dies. At just 16, Amie is already a widow. As tragic as the boy's early death may be, one thing is certain: Omar has died as a happy husband.
Posted by Amie Cresswell on Saturday, June 20, 2015
Life does not always go according to plan. When this woman loses her memory, she no longer remembers her own wedding. Her husband is considering