Telford man vows to give his terminally ill wife the honeymoon they never had
A Telford man has pledged to give his wife the honeymoon they never had as she battles terminal cancer.
In January, Julie Lewis and her husband Roger were having a glass of champagne and a special dinner at their home in Telford, to celebrate her being 10 years cancer free.
Just two weeks later, the unthinkable happened when Julie went for a routine blood test, and abnormalities were discovered.
Four weeks later she was diagnosed with rare bone marrow cancer, and it became apparent it could not be treated. Julie is now left with a limited time to live as she receives palliative chemotherapy.
Roger and his wife, who have two teenage children, Dylan, 18, and Jasmine, 14, were devastated to discover the news 10 years on.
He said: "It came as such a big shock, as Julie had just gone through the ten-year mark.
"Since we heard, it has been chemotherapy every week, but Julie is really, really strong, she is a fighter and is so positive."
Since the news, husband Roger has set up a Crowdfunding page - justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Juliesfinaldreams - to raise money and make his wife's dreams come true by giving her the honeymoon the couple never had 21 years ago.
Julie, who until recently worked at Wrockwardine Wood Junior School in the kitchen, has been receiving intensive treatment.
However the couple ticked their first trip off the bucket list recently, as they travelled from Shropshire to the Ritz in London to have tea in the famous hotel and see the sights.
With Julie having a love of the opera, Roger wrote to famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, who then invited the pair to meet him and hear him sing in Linz, Austria in July.
Roger said through the fundraising page he set up to fund the trips on Julie's bucket list, it has helped her re-connect with old friends as she fights her battle with cancer.
The couple are now hoping to go on their honeymoon, 21 years later, when the chemotherapy finishes in August.
He added: "Crowdfunding on JustGiving has also been a medium for Julie to connect with old family and friends, and feel heartened by the generosity of others.
"Some of the people who have donated have been anonymous or complete strangers. It has restored our faith in human nature against all the difficult news we have had – there are people out there who are willing to help people like us who are going through a hard time.
"With the honeymoon, we couldn't afford it back when we got married, and Julie has always wanted a beach holiday so that is what we are looking at.
"Given Julie’s health it is very hard to plan trips far in advance. Julie’s chemo finishes in mid-August and we hope to go on our honeymoon then.
"It would mean so much to us and be another box ticked. It was an event that didn't happen when we got married, but we want to make it happen with the time we have left."
Roger, an account manager for a software company, said he wants to make some incredible memories in the months he and his wife have left.
He added: "In the face of such personal tragedy, we have both been comforted and overwhelmed by the generosity of people helping realise Julie’s final dreams.”
He continued: “We will make the most of Julie’s remaining time with us. We have been incredibly lucky to have had each other for the past 27 years, and we will be making some incredible memories in the coming months.”
