I married my husband on his deathbed… 48 hours later I was a widow

A woman married her husband in hospital just 48 hours before he died – after the couple’s lives were ‘turned upside down’ by his diagnosis with a fatal lung disease.

Mike Reynolds, 51, married his partner of eight years Lara, 38, from Cornwall, in a moving ceremony organized by the bride in just one day.

The delivery driver suffered from shortness of breath for five months before doctors discovered pulmonary fibrosis – which causes scarring in the lungs – in May.

Mike was hospitalized in August and just days after tying the knot in September, surrounded by close friends and family, Lara was confronted with life as a widow.

She described the wedding as “heartbreakingly beautiful” and said: “This was what we’d always wanted to do – we just thought we had more time.”

Looking back on his diagnosis, Mrs Reynolds wishes doctors had known more about pulmonary fibrosis and had checked for crackling sounds in his lungs – a symptom of the disease.

Mr Reynolds suffered from shortness of breath in January this year and began the long process of finding the cause.

Initially, doctors suspected a respiratory infection, but the couple persisted.

After multiple appointments, they still had no answer – with one doctor even suggesting the symptoms could be due to anxiety.

On May 8, after visiting both private and NHS doctors, Mr Reynolds was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis – a condition that affects 70,000 people in Britain.

“They initially signed him off because they thought it was a respiratory infection,” Ms Reynolds said.

‘A doctor asked if he thought it was all in his head and asked if he had tried yoga.

‘It was a very emotional time. He was struggling to do normal things, but he was also still working, still active, and still Mike.

“When he was diagnosed, our world was turned upside down.”

The couple had to postpone their 2020 wedding plans due to Covid restrictions and continued to make the most of their time together until he was admitted to hospital at the end of August.

On May 8, after visiting both private and NHS doctors, Mr Reynolds was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis – a condition that affects 70,000 people in Britain.

Mr. Reynolds continued to attend doctor’s appointments and receive treatments, while he and Mrs. Reynolds continued to make the most of their time together.

After his health deteriorated dramatically in August, Mr Reynolds was hospitalized for three weeks before returning to hospital just a week after discharge.

“We got some little oxygen tanks – we called them Ghostbusters tanks – and it changed our lives,” Ms Reynolds said.

‘We made sure we were away from large groups of people to avoid contamination. We changed the way we did everything,” she added.

She said, “We were doing well; we were planning to go away in May; we planned to do a lot of things. He couldn’t fly anymore, but we could drive, so we started taking road trips.

“Then August 28 came, and he was just gray. I had to call 999 and rush him to hospital, and he stayed there for three weeks.

‘He was released on Monday and had a whole week at home. He could barely walk up or down the stairs – it was very traumatic for him.

“We decided to take him back to the hospital, but then it got worse.”

Mike found solace in a conversation with the hospital chaplain and began discussing his ultimate goal: marrying Mrs. Reynolds.

Ms. Reynolds immediately began planning an intimate ceremony at the hospital, surrounded by their closest family and friends.

“He spoke to the chaplain and found great comfort in that,” she said.

“He said we were going to get married, but it didn’t happen, and the chaplain said he could make it happen.

‘Mike was convinced it happened. The chaplain said it could be done within 24 hours; it happened within 24 hours.

‘I had 24 hours to organize our wedding. I did, and on September 27 at 2pm we were married.

‘It was beautiful; it was disturbing. It wasn’t what either of us wanted, but we had family and friends there.

‘His best friend said it perfectly: you don’t need all the beautiful dresses and hundreds of people, it’s about love.

‘Our wedding was about pure love. This was what we always wanted to do; we just thought we had more time.

‘It was difficult and emotional, but it was our day.’

On September 29, 2024, Mr. Reynolds passed away.

Ms Reynolds now hopes to share their story to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis and urge anyone with breathing problems to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Pulmonary fibrosis causes scar tissue to form in the lungs, making the lungs less elastic and stiff. This can cause patients to become short of breath.

Common symptoms of the disease include a dry cough, fatigue and unexplained weight loss

It can also cause clubbing of the fingers and toes, meaning they become swollen and rounded at the ends, according to Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

It is not clear what causes it, but it usually affects people between 70 and 75 years old and is rare in people under 50.

Several treatments can help reduce the rate at which pulmonary fibrosis worsens, but there is currently no treatment that can stop or reverse lung scarring.

“He couldn’t shout from the rooftops that I was his wife – that’s all he wanted,” Mrs Reynolds said, looking back on her wedding day.

‘From the time he was diagnosed to the day he died it was four and a half months – and no one knows what pulmonary fibrosis is.

‘Friends and family thought he would be fine, that it was just a lung disease. I don’t think anyone but me and Mike knew how serious this really was.

‘The average time after diagnosis is 2-5 years, but we had heard of people who had been diagnosed for 10 years. He hoped he would live until he was sixty.’

Reflecting on his diagnosis, Mrs Reynolds wishes doctors had known more about pulmonary fibrosis and had checked for crackling sounds in his lungs – a sign of the disease.

“We might have had a few months head start and he could have been given different medications or put on the transplant list,” Ms Reynolds said.

“I don’t want any other family to have to go through what we’re going through right now. It shouldn’t be this way.

‘Take things seriously, listen to your body and keep pushing for help.

“I had to constantly fight for Mike and try to get people to listen to us.

‘We did get answers, but a little too late.’