The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Dundee mum with cancer dies on her wedding day
Family transform planned reception into a celebration in memory of brave young woman
A family have spoken of their heartbreak after a mother of five with terminal cancer died just hours before her wedding. Jennie Cameron, 32, from Mid Craigie in Dundee, lost her battle on the same day she was to wed Francis Yule. What was to have been a wedding reception at the Ambassador Bar in Clepington Road instead became a celebration of her life, as the family gathered to toast the tragic mum. Although they did not exchange vows, Jennie had taken Francis’s surname. Her heartbroken fiancé, 28, revealed he slipped the wedding ring on to Jennie’s finger shortly after her death. “Jennie was far stronger than me throughout all of this,” he said. “I sometimes joked she was made of steel. “She had come home on Friday from Ninewells. Jennie was scheduled to go down to the Apex with her bridesmaids on the Friday, but she wasn’t up to it.” Jennie’s health deteriorated in the early hours of Saturday and she was taken back into hospital, where she died. Francis said: “Jennie was my soulmate. Although we didn’t get to celebrate the day as we had planned, it will always be our wedding day. “The one comfort I think all the family have is that Jennie is now at peace. “She is no longer in pain, she was such a strong warrior throughout. “As a family everyone has come together, we will ensure her children never forget how strong she has been throughout this ordeal.” Her stepfather, Brian Lyndsey, said: “We had initially cancelled the wedding venue, but we decided to have a celebration in Jennie’s memory.” Jennie was given the devastating news of her terminal illness in July. Despite being given the all-clear from cervical cancer 10 weeks earlier, it had returned and spread to her liver, lungs, lymph nodes and bones. Brian said that after the initial good news at Easter she developed a cough that meant frequent trips to the doctor. “Within 10 weeks she is getting told it was terminal, we were all absolutely devastated,” he said, adding that the family had been “overwhelmed” by the way friends, relatives and strangers helped raise money for her “dream wedding”. “Jennie’s memory will live on through her kids. We can all see features of Jennie in her children. Despite all her health issues, she made sure the kids and the family came first,” said Brian. Jennie’s funeral will be next Tuesday at 11.45am at Dundee Crematorium, with friends invited to wear bright colours. She is survived by her children Nathan, Kirsten, Aimee, Kayla and Mason.