Norwich woman marries terminally ill fiancé in hospital

Rosie and Ryan Dack were wed by a minister at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he was being treated in the critical care department.

Doctors had told the couple, who got engaged two years earlier, that he had only had up to a week left to live.

Ryan, who used a wheelchair and had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, told Rosie his last wish before he died was to marry her and they spent just a few hours planning the ceremony.

Rosie, an online content creator, said: "It was the best day of my life, but I didn't know it would be my last with him."

The couple, who lived together in Wymondham, were married by a minister at 8.45am and Ryan passed away in the evening of the following day, on Rosie's 25th birthday, last June.

Rosie met Ryan at a wheelchair football match (Image: SWNS)

They had met while playing wheelchair football in September 2016 and Rosie admitted she "friendzoned" him at first. 

But Ryan was a "charmer" and spent four years trying to get her to go on a date with him. 

She said: "He was always flirting and wanting to get to know me, he'd send flowers a lot. 

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"At first I didn't see any attraction, but as time grew, so did our love."

In October 2022, after a year of dating, Ryan visited Rosie in Norwich for a family barbecue where he proposed to her.

But six months later, while Rosie was away, Ryan texted her saying he was experiencing a tickly throat, runny nose and generally "wasn't feeling great". 

Rosie took him to the GP on June 20 last year where he was prescribed antibiotics and sent home.

But the next day, his blood oxygen levels were measuring low, and his breathing became progressively shallower. 

Rosie said: "Next thing we knew, an ambulance was carting Ryan off to Norfolk and Norwich because he couldn't breathe. 

"Later that day, I got a call from his personal assistant who said I needed to go over there as soon as possible. They were taking him to critical care." 

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After three more days in critical care, Rosie was told "things had changed" and that Ryan would die. 

"He asked me to come and sit on the bed," she added. "He looked me in the eyes and told me, 'they've done everything they can'. 

Rosie and Ryan were married for only 34 hours before he passed away (Image: SWNS)

"I pleaded with him to keep fighting but he said I needed to be strong. 

“He told me the last thing he ever wanted to do was to marry me the next morning.”

The pair were married by a minister the following day and Ryan died the day after that.

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She said: "I coped by going on my hen do when I was meant to - a few days at Center Parcs. 

"On our one-month anniversary, I went to Norwich and flew a kite.

"It's his favourite city in the world and 10 days before he died, he said he'd love to take our son or daughter there to fly kites. 

"So, I did it for him."