A dementia sufferer is given just days to live watched her last single son marry after he organized the wedding in a week.
Rob Prest and Steffanie Winters had planned to tie the knot in November this year but decided last week to move the date forward after doctors said his mother Jean, 78, had ‘a matter of days’ left.
And so the pair said ‘I do’ on Monday in a simple ceremony at their local registry office in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
The couple was propelled into action after Jean, who suffers from dementia, was hospitalized with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
A video of Jean shows her enjoying the wedding and in another touching clip filmed ahead of the event she smiles – despite her confusion and memory problems – when reminded that she will be wearing a hat and seeing Rob marry.
Rob Prest and Steffanie Winters organized their wedding in just a week so that Mr. Prest’s mother Jean, 78, could see her last single child marry
They had planned to wed in November this year but decided last week to move the date
An emotional video shows the dementia sufferer being told she is going to he son’s wedding
Mrs. Prest, 35, told MailOnline: ‘Rob and his mum have always been really close.
‘She’s suffered dementia for the last 18 years and it’s been tough, then just before Christmas she took ill and the hospital sent her back to the nursing home and said there’s nothing they can do, that she should just be made comfortable.
‘We had the wedding booked for November but last week having seen her pull through over Christmas, we said “let’s just do it now” while Jean’s still with us.
‘Rob has a brother and sister who are both married so we wanted Jean to see all her children marry before she goes.
‘It’s hard to tell how aware she is of what goes on around her but she seemed happy.’
Mr. and Mrs. Prest were lucky to be able to call on friends to help organize the event in time.
The pair married on Monday in a simple ceremony at their local registry office
Mrs. Prest said: ‘Rob now has pictures of our wedding day with his mother there that he will always cherish’
Shot-gun wedding
And so, with the help of friends, the couple organized their big day in just seven days.
Mrs. Prest said: ‘My friend Caroline runs Swanky Bridal in Kirkburton and I got my dress there and Rob’s friend Leanne who runs a florist in Dewsbury organized my bouquet. Rob got his suit two days before.
‘We only picked and downloaded our wedding songs on the way to the ceremony.’
The couple, who run joint business ventures Cleaning Angels and Floor Angels, married with just a couple of witnesses as proud mother Jean looked on.
‘Our two children couldn’t even make it as it was such short notice,’ explained Mrs. Prest. ‘There was just my mum and dad and my friend there.
‘But we will still be having our big day with a humanist ceremony as planned in November with all our friends and the rest of the family.
‘This day was all about Jean and making sure she got to see all her children marry. Rob now has pictures of our wedding day with his mother there that he will always cherish.’
If you know someone who might like this, please click “Share!”