OUR VERY SPECIAL DAY...
Terminally ill man to marry at hospice as caring gifts flood in
A DYING man will marry the love of his life just one week after receiving a devastating diagnosis thanks to a host of donations from generous Scots.
Robert Dobbs, 47, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, and had been in remission for two years, but received the cruel news from doctors last week the disease had spread to several of his major organs and is terminal.
But he knew there was just one thing he had to do, and turned to Andy Dickson, the man he had spent the last 15 years of his life with.
“We were walking down the hospice corridor,” Robert explained. “I just turned to him and said ‘Andy, there’s something I need to ask you, and I hope you say aye’.”
Robert and Andy, 55, met online in 2004, and within seconds of meeting face-toface, they knew they had something special.
“Something just clicked,” Robert laughed. “We were standing under the clock at Glasgow Central Station, and we just knew.”
In the last 15 years, the pair have gone through the deaths of both their mothers, and the highs and lows of Robert’s health.
But no matter what life throws at them, they always manage to get through each day at each other’s sides.
“I always knew that I wanted to ask Andy to marry me,” Robert admitted. “We always said we’d wait 25 years, but I couldn’t help it.
“I said to him, this wasn’t just because of my diagnosis. I wanted to get married because of us.”
They are set to get married in the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Dumbreck, where Robert has been cared for.
“I couldn’t ever imagine a better place to get married,” Robert said, looking across the vast green space surrounding the hospice, which was built just under a year ago. “This place feels like home to me, and I want to make these special memories in a place that means this much to the both of us.”
Their rings will be carried down the aisle by their dog, Leo, who has been their companion through for three years.
A last-minute wedding can prove to be pricey, but the couple soon found themselves in touch with Scotland’s first legally wedded female couple, Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott, who have made it their personal mission to make their big day happen. As humanist spiritual chaplains, Susan and Gerrie agreed not only to marry the pair, but also organise the ceremony entirely free of charge.
“We are absolutely delighted for them,” Gerrie said.
“This might not have been the timing they wanted, but it was always going to happen.”
The pair posted a message on social media, appealing to wedding suppliers and generous people from across the country.
Within just a few hours, their post had attracted hundreds of shares – and hundreds more offers to help with the celebration.
Kilts, cake and towering letters of love were suddenly at their disposal, with around 150 donations committed to the cause.
“All these providers, who are nearly all professional companies, have all been so sensitive and respectful,” Gerrie explained. “They’ve been asking how best to go about bringing supplies without disturbing the other residents.
“On Tuesday, the owner of a jewellery shop came forward and offered wedding rings – completely free of charge – and we are just so overwhelmed with everyone’s generosity.”
And both Andy and Robert cannot quite contain how awestruck they are at just how much the donors mean to them.
“The donations are making me emotional – I wasn’t expecting anything like this,” Robert admitted. “It’s what’s making me so teary. Just how much people care.”