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A man whose girlfriend was diagnosed with cervical cancer eight weeks before she died is looking to grant her final wish of opening an accessible playground.
Aidan Solan, from London, lost his partner Alex Halley, 27, last month having only learned of her diagnosis eight weeks before.
Alex worked with the NHS as an occupational therapist at Richard Cloudesley School Islington for children with physical disabilities and additional sensory needs.
Heartbroken Aidan, 29, is now determined to help make Alex’s playground dream for the children come to life, and has setup a fundraiser which has raised more than £24,000 towards a goal of £80,000.
Aidan Solan (right) who’s girlfriend Alex Halley, 27, (left) was diagnosed with cervical cancer and passed away last month is looking to grant her final wish of opening an accessible playground
Alex had been suffering from stomach problems for a while, though the couple had initially assumed it was a side effect of her coming off the contraceptive pill.
While feeling poorly at a friend’s wedding in Italy in August this year Alex received a call from her doctors with the earth shattering news she had cancer.
She spent the next couple of weeks going in and out of hospital before being checked in as an impatient five weeks before she died.
Speaking to The Mirror, Aidan said: ‘I don’t know whether it was a panic attack or what, but I was just hysterically, hysterically crying. I couldn’t stop. [It was] just the realisation of what was happening [and it] setting in.’
Alex had been suffering from stomach problems for a while, though the couple had initially assumed it was a side effect of her coming off the contraceptive pill
Heartbroken Aidan, 29, is now determined to help make Alex’s playground dream come to life, and has setup a fundraiser which has raised more than £24,000 towards a goal of £80,000
‘We got told on Thursday that it was terminal, and I said my proper last goodbyes then.
‘I sat in the room with her, and played the song that we always joked would be our first dance at our wedding.’
Shortly after saying his last proper goodbye, Aidan tested positive for coronavirus, meaning he couldn’t return to the hospital to see Alex and a couple of days later she passed away.
Through this work her dream to open an accessible playground- where children with disabilities could play with their friends and siblings- was born.
While feeling poorly at a friend’s wedding in Italy in August this year Alex received a call from her doctors with the earth shattering news she had cancer
Alex also volunteered for three weeks during the coronavirus pandemic to work night shifts on the covid wards.
Now Aidan is seeking to continue Alex’s legacy by making her dreams of an accessible playground come true by raising £80,000 on a GoFundMe page.
A message from Aidan on the GoFundMe page reads: ‘When speaking about the children at school, you could see her face light up and feel just how much she adored them.
‘The need for an accessible playground for children of all abilities was a cause particularly close to Alex’s heart.
As well as working with children who have disabilities and learning difficulties, Alex also volunteered for three weeks during the coronavirus pandemic to work night shifts on the Covid wards
‘Alex was incredible; by a distance, she was the most caring, passionate, and selfless person I ever met.
‘The children at school meant the world to her and outside of her work, she touched the lives of anyone who got to know her.
‘I’m hopeful we can channel the goodwill and the momentum this tragedy has created, into something positive.
‘I can’t think of a better way to honour her legacy than by building something that improves the lives of those she devoted herself to.’
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