She Married The Love Of Her Life At The Hospital Two Days Before Dying Of Cancer. This Is Heartbreaking

She Married The Love Of Her Life At The Hospital Two Days Before Dying Of Cancer. This Is Heartbreaking

We come across so many lovers in our life and while some romances are easy to forget, some remain etched in our hearts forever. After a while, we even forget the things we did together, what our fights looked like, and what complaints we had. What we remember is how they made us feel and it is the invisible thread of that memory that keeps us tied to them even years later. Like Deepika says in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, memories are like a box of sweets that you can’t keep down after just having a bit. And those bitter-sweet moments make us smile but also makes our heart ache. So usually, we keep that box tightly shut. But this couple opened it 20 years apart and dived right in, creating a love story so grand yet so painful.

Rute Ralph, 44, and Andy Ralph, 51 got married and were husband and wife, even if it was just for two days. Rute was suffering from cancer and passed away in her Norwich hospital bed, but as Mrs. Ralph, after 20 years.

Their love story goes back to 1993 when they were dating but broke up because Andy Ralph felt he wasn’t ready for commitment. Who knew it wasn’t so different back then? Those words sound too familiar but the rest of the story won’t. They parted ways and got married to their individual partners. Both of them had three children and lived two decades without speaking to each other.

In 2014, Andy got in touch with Rute on Facebook. He was already divorced and when they got on a call for the first time, Rute confessed that she still loves him. In fact, Andy said that she had been in love with him since the day they first met. “It was love at first sight for Rute, she said she never stopped loving me from the moment she met me,” Norwich Evening News quoted him as saying.

They reignited their romance in 2017. A year later they moved to Norfolk but life had different plans. In April 2019, Rute found a lump in her breast. She went through chemotherapy and a mastectomy but the cancer was fast-spreading. After being in the hospital for three weeks, the doctors broke it to Andy that she has just a few days left to live. They were planning to get married at the Norwich Castle in April 2020.

However, taking the necessary permissions, the couple had the wedding at the hospital itself. Andy expressed, “The actual service, there was something magical about the whole thing. I almost completely forgot about the fact Rute had only a few days to live.” He was astonished by how Rute was able to pull it off even when she was so sick. “Despite being so poorly, Rute managed to put on her beautiful wedding dress and summon unimaginable strength to stand and take part fully in the ceremony,” Andy said.

Rute wanted to go home after the wedding for a few hours but her health didn’t allow her to. She passed away after two days. Andy said Rute was a strong woman who believed in following her heart. Rute had put her biggest smile on during the ceremony and Andy just couldn’t believe that she died just two days after. “I look at the photographs and it is very difficult to understand how she died on the Sunday when the ceremony was on the Friday,” he sighed.

“I used to say we were yin and yang, positive and negative, somehow we would balance each other out,” Andy said remembering his late wife. “I desperately wish the circumstances had been different but marrying Rute was one of the proudest moments of my life and I am very pleased that she managed to realise her dream in her final days,” he concluded.

ALSO READ: High School Girl Married Her BF Who Has Just A Few Months To Live. This Is Such A Beautiful Love Story

It’s so sad that they spent 20 years apart from each other and when finally they came together, Rute didn’t have much time left. But at least they were able to get married, even if it was just for two days. Why do we waste years and moments on ‘I’m not ready for commitment’? Why do we let soulmates go because of misunderstandings? It’s so painful to feel like you lost time because that’s one thing we can’t get back. I believe some things are meant to happen in their own time but we can try. Tell them you love them while you still can.

ALSO READ: This Married Couple Realised They Had Spent An Entire Summer Holiday Together As Kids. Here’s Their Story Of Chance Encounters And A Fairytale Romance

Akanksha Narang

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