[one1]

Dying eight-year-old 'marries' his school sweetheart - Telegraph

An eight-year-old boy who had set his heart on 'marrying' his school sweetheart achieved his final wish the day before he died of leukaemia.


By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 8:22AM BST 22 Jul 2008

Given only weeks to live, Reece Fleming proposed to his 'special friend' Elleanor Purgslove at a laser tag party.

After she accepted, their parents arranged a make-believe wedding at Reece's home in Mackworth, Derby. He died the next day with his family.

Reece's mother Lorraine Fleming said he told her, "I can go now" after his wish had been granted.

The 28-year-old said: ""He was so proud of her, and we were proud of them both."

Reece was diagnosed with leukaemia in July 2004, when he was aged just four.

He fought the disease for four years until May when doctors told him he had just weeks to live.

Ms Fleming, said she and his stepfather Mick Thompson had tried to help him achieve as much as possible before his death, including marrying his sweetheart.

"When we found out that we only had a few weeks with him we tried to do absolutely everything with him that we could.

"Him and Ellie had been 'special friends' for a couple of years but then they broke up.

"We said we'd have a pirate party, and Ellie came. She went to visit Reece a few times in hospital as well.

She added: "We also had a football and laser quest party, apparently that's when he proposed to her."

The pair went out to dinner in the mayor's limousine and the families organised a 'wedding', complete with rings, a stand-in vicar and a certificate.

The ceremony was carried out on July 4 and the following day Reece died at home with his family and a Macmillan nurse.

At his funeral, mourners followed a horse-drawn hearse on foot.

Ms Fleming added: "Even on the Saturday that he died, he got out of bed and walked to the sofa.

"He always tried walking, right to the end, so we thought if he walked for us then we would walk for him."

Alrighty, well I'm depressed now.......... Moral of the story, you're never to young to die and it doesn't even have to be at your stupidity. There is no control and no guarantees.

[Zeal]

Ok.?

[dualcorex]

wow. so sad. *tears up*

[.:MirrorminD:.]

wow thats a crazy story and very sad

[Reako]

8 years old? Outrageous. There's a reason for everything. God Bless him.

Reako

[HITCH]

wow...
this story meke me be soo EMO

[Justin06]

That's really sad...

It's nice the way everyone handled it, like the mayor letting his kids ride in his limo and his parents helping him with all of this "dreams" ... just sad he had to die at the age of 8

[Trinirspeed]

Don't know if to be sad or in a wtf state.

[kys]

How does and 8 year old marry his School Sweet Heart. Isn't he too young?

[Chase817]

Originally Posted by kys

How does and 8 year old marry his School Sweet Heart. Isn't he too young?

Originally Posted by one1

After she accepted, their parents arranged a make-believe wedding at Reece's home in Mackworth, Derby. He died the next day with his family.

it wasn't an actual wedding

[Aiyo]

thats so sad T_T

[sedjav]

RIP little guy

[one1]

Disease is one of those things that you never see coming because there's no real way to avoid it even though some take precautions. Majority of diseases are hereditary. (cancers for instance, heart disease, etc) Some are brought on by outside elements like living by a power station, always having your iPhone in your hands radiating microwaves, smoking, etc......

This little guy just got his early on in life, but that's the rule to disease.... there's no timeframe on it, you can be diagnosed tomorrow by mere accident while going in for a sore throat and coming out with lymphoma diagnosis and 6 months to live.

As of writing this 158 people have viewed the thread and statistically 21 of them will be told they have a life threatening disease by the age of 40 and die in what would otherwise be perfect health. (no real health issues like high cholesterol or emphysema, etc...) They'll just get sick all of a sudden and be diagnosed with cancer and fall over in 6 months. Some of it hereditary, some by smoking, some by air quality and microwave energy, whatever.... In the prime of your life with everything going just fine.

You're reading this right now thinking "that won't happen to me" or "i HOPE that doesn't happen to me" chances are......... it'll be you. Non smokers die of liver cancer, non drinkers die of brain cancer, heart disease, all kinds of things at 35-40 years old. Google a little, this happens every day. One day you feel fine, the next you are in chemo begging for life....... NO signs of it coming on until it hits and no one is exempt.

I know that sounds a bit drab, but I'm telling you that to tell you this...... go out and live. You only get to do it once, and statistically one of 10 people you know will drop dead in their 30's with no warning of a disease coming on and it might be you.