Caring hospital staff help get patient Lindsay to his wedding
IT’S the day loved-up couples plan with meticulous precision and await with both joy and nerves.
But after Lindsay Griffiths and Shannon Robinson had already brought their wedding date forward when the groom-to-be was diagnosed with cancer it appeared their well-laid plans could be in jeopardy when he was taken into hospital just a week before the big day.
Thankfully caring NHS staff stepped in and ensured the 64-year-old civilian police worker was ready to tie the knot and leave the hospital for long enough to enjoy his nuptials.
The couple had known each other for 10 years and had talked about getting married when Lindsay retired.
But last year he was diagnosed with renal cancer and the couple decided to bring forward their plans to tie the knot.
They set a date for February and were looking forward to their big day – only for Lindsay to be admitted to hospital the week before.
Once it became clear he could still be there on their wedding day the couple were faced with the prospect of having to call it off.
But with the support of staff at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend their very special occasion went ahead as planned.
Lindsay said: “With my drug treatment regime I have four weeks on and two weeks off to recover.
“Once we decided we were going to get married we had to think about when would be the best time to do it. We decided to go for the end of my second week off because that is when I am usually at my best.”
So the date was fixed for Sunday, February 11, and the Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel in Coychurch was booked.
But then, with just one week to go, Lindsay became unwell and had to be admitted to Princess of Wales Hospital’s ward five.
Shannon said: “We hoped he would only be there for a couple of days but as the week went on we started to become worried.
“We thought we might have to cancel. But the staff were fantastic. The aim became to get him well enough to come out of hospital just for the day so we could go ahead and get married.”
Lindsay’s son and best man Darryl brought his suit to the ward and, together with staff, helped his dad get ready.
The wedding went off well and Lindsay went back to hospital in the evening. He has since returned to the couple’s home in Pencoed.
Lindsay said he and Shannon wanted to thank ward staff for making their big day feel like even more of a celebration.
“The staff were amazing. They joined in the preparations and made a real fuss over me. They helped me get ready and made sure I had everything I needed.”
Ward five clerk Cheryl Trotman said: “Lindsay is such a lovely man. When it looked like he may still be here on his wedding day we decided to do what we could to make sure it went ahead as planned.”