'I married my terminally fiancé in hospital - he died 34 hours later'

A woman married her fiancé in hospital after learning he was seriously ill - and he died just 34 hours later.

Rosie Dack, 25, married late husband Ryan, 25, in Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on June 25, 2023, after he was given a week to live.

The pair planned the wedding in just two hours - after Ryan told Rosie on a whim his last wish was to marry her.

Rosie wore a white summer dress she found at the back of her wardrobe, and they celebrated with family, friends, canteen cake and plastic cups of nozeco.

But on the evening of June 26, Ryan died - leaving Rosie to go on with her arranged hen do and celebrate their anniversary as a widow.

Rosie, a content creator from Norwich, Norfolk, said: “It was the best day of my life - but I didn’t know it would be my last with him.

“When hospital staff heard getting married was Ryan’s last wish, they did absolutely everything they could."

Rosie and Ryan met at powerchair football in September 2016.

She played for Watford, while Ryan played for Middlesborough - and she admits she “friendzoned” him at first.

But Ryan was a “charmer” and spent four years trying to get her to go on a date with him.

She said: “He was always flirting and wanting to get to know me - he’d send flowers a lot.

“He tried to graft quite a bit to get to me - I friendzoned him at the time, which I completely regret now.

“At first I didn’t see any attraction, but as time grew, so did our love.”

While at a New Year’s Eve party on December 31, 2019 - Rosie and Ryan made a pact to get together if they were still single by the following year.

But as the pandemic hit the two were forced to shield - so they kept up their friendship on Skype.

Rosie fell in love with him and decided to pursue a relationship after they met in person again the following year.

“We waited until we’d had our first vaccines to see each other again,” she added. “And when I did, I realised I was in love with him."

In October 2022, after a year of dating, Ryan came down to Rosie’s home in Norwich for a family barbeque.

A song they loved WHICH SONG started playing on the speaker - and Ryan took Rosie’s hand and asked her to marry him.

Rosie said: “I absolutely bawled my eyes out and ugly-cried - I just couldn’t speak.”

The couple planned to marry in August 2023, with Rosie’s hen party set to take place on July 10.

In the meantime, Ryan moved into Rosie’s home - and they spent their first Christmas as an engaged couple.

“It was bliss,” she added. “We couldn’t wait for the next one.”

But six months later, while Rosie was away in LOCATION playing powerchair football, Ryan texted her saying he was experiencing a tickly throat, runny nose and generally “wasn’t feeling great”.

Rosie took him to the GP on June 20.

Ryan was prescribed antibiotics and sent home - but the next day, his blood oxygen levels were measuring low, and his breathing became progressively shallower.

Rosie said: “Next thing we knew, an ambulance was carting Ryan off to Norfolk and Norwich because he couldn’t breathe.

“Later that day, I got a call from his personal assistant who said I needed to go over there as soon as possible.

“They were taking him to critical care.”

Doctors told her he was suffering from pneumonia - and it was too early to tell whether he was going to get better.

After three more days in critical care, Rosie allowed herself to go home - but she was immediately called back by the hospital, who told her “things had changed.”

“He asked me to come and sit on the bed,” she added. “He looked me in the eyes and told me, ‘they’ve done everything they can. It looks like I’m going to die.’

“I pleaded with him to keep fighting - but he said I needed to be strong.

“He told me the last thing he ever wanted to do was to marry me the next morning.”

Rosie told her mum, 52-year-old carer, Tina Hodgson, to start making calls to the families.

She decided her white summer dress - which she was reserving for her hen party - would be the perfect bridal gown for the makeshift wedding.

Tina ran home to find Rosie’s ID - so the pair could legally marry.

She said: “We managed to get a minister in at 8:45 in the morning - which is the time we got married.

“The ward chaplain helped us plan everything, she’d made a really nice connection with Ryan’s family.

“There was an agency nurse in attendance with all our family and friends - I often wonder if she knew, leaving the house that day for her shift, that she’d be going to a wedding.”

The couple shared their wedding night on the ward - with Rosie sleeping in a campbed next to Ryan.

“We managed to get about five minutes of privacy,” she added. “I asked him how he felt.

“He said, I really don’t feel good - I don’t think this is going to end well.”

Ryan died at 6:30pm the following day - on Rosie’s 25th birthday.

His funeral took place exactly one month later - with his “groomsmen” giving the eulogies.

Rosie said: “I coped by going on my hen do when I was meant to - a few days at Center Parcs.

“On our one-month anniversary, I went to Norwich and flew a kite.

“It’s his favourite city in the world - and 10 days before he died, he said he’d love to take our son or daughter there to fly kites.

“So, I did it for him.”