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 of 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 shortness of breath for five months before doctors discovered pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring of the lungs, in May.
Mike was hospitalized in August and just days after getting married in September, surrounded by family and close friends, Lara faced life as a widow.
Describing the wedding as “heartbreakingly beautiful”, she said: “It was what we had always wanted to do – we just thought we had more time.”
Mike Reynolds was 51 when he married his partner of eight years Lara Reynolds, 38, from Cornwall in an emotional ceremony organized by the bride in just one day.
Looking back on her diagnosis, Ms Reynolds wishes doctors knew more about pulmonary fibrosis and had checked for crackling sounds in her lungs, a symptom of the disease.
Reynolds had been struggling with shortness of breath in January of this year and began the long process of finding the cause.
At first, doctors suspected a chest infection, but the couple persisted.
After multiple appointments, they still had no answers; one doctor even suggested that the symptoms could be the result of anxiety.
On May 8, after consulting private and NHS doctors, Mr Reynolds was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which affects 70,000 people living in the UK.
“They initially ruled it out because they thought it was a chest infection,” Mrs Reynolds said.
‘A doctor asked him if he thought it was all in his head and asked if he had tried yoga.
‘It was a very emotional moment. He was struggling to do normal things, but he was also still working, still active, and still being Mike.
“When he was diagnosed, our world 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 hospitalized at the end of August.
On May 8, after consulting private and NHS doctors, Mr Reynolds was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which affects 70,000 people living in the UK.
Mr Reynolds continued to attend medical appointments and receive available treatments, while he and Mrs Reynolds continued to make the most of their time together.
After his health drastically declined in August, Reynolds was hospitalized for three weeks, before returning to the hospital just a week after his discharge.
“We got some little oxygen tanks (we called them Ghostbusters tanks) and changed our lives,” Mrs. Reynolds said.
‘We were careful not to be around large groups of people to avoid infections. “We changed the way we do everything,” he added.
She said: ‘We were fine; We had planned to leave in May; We had planned to do many things. He couldn’t fly anymore, but we could drive, so we went on car trips.
“Then it hit us on August 28 and it was already gray. I had to call 999 and rush him to hospital, and he was there for three weeks.
“He was discharged on Monday and spent a whole week at home. I could barely go up or down stairs; It was very traumatic for him.
“We decided to take him back to the hospital and then he got worse.”
Mike found solace in talking to the hospital chaplain and began talking about his ultimate goal: marrying Mrs. Reynolds.
Mrs. Reynolds immediately began planning an intimate ceremony at the hospital, surrounded by her closest family and friends.
“He talked to the chaplain and found a lot of comfort in that,” he said.
‘He mentioned that we were supposed to get married, but we didn’t, and the chaplain said he could make it happen.
‘Mike insisted that was happening. The chaplain said it could happen in 24 hours; It was happening in 24 hours.
‘I had 24 hours to organize our wedding. I did and then at 2pm on September 27th we got 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 costumes and hundreds of people, it’s about love.
‘Our wedding was about pure love. It was what we had 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 her story to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis and urge anyone experiencing 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 sufferers to feel short of breath.
Common symptoms of the disease also include dry cough, tiredness, and unexplained weight loss.
It can also cause clubbing of the fingers and toes, which is when they become swollen and rounded at the tips, 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 years old.
Several treatments can help slow the rate at which lung 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, recalling their wedding day.
‘Four and a half months passed from the moment he was diagnosed until the day he died, and no one knows what pulmonary fibrosis is.
‘Friends and family thought he would be fine, that it was just a lung illness. I don’t think anyone except Mike and I knew how serious this was.
‘The average time after diagnosis is 2 to 5 years, but we have heard of people who have had it for 10 years. He hoped to live to be 60 years old.
Looking back on her diagnosis, Ms Reynolds wishes doctors knew more about pulmonary fibrosis and had checked for crackling sounds in her lungs, a sign of the disease.
“We could have been a couple of months early and they could have put him on different medications or put him on the transplant list,” Mrs. Reynolds said.
‘I don’t want another family to go through what we are going through now. It shouldn’t be like this.
‘Take things seriously, listen to your body and keep asking for help.
‘I had to constantly fight for Mike and try to get people to listen to us.
“We got answers, although a little late.”