‘Jade is organising her wedding and her funeral’ says heartbroken fiancé

Jade Caughey from Portadown is 28 and just last week was told the chemotherapy and radiotherapy for her cancer has not been successful.

Her fiancé Lee Parker said: “Jade is the most loving, caring person that I have ever met and it breaks my heart that she is going to leave us.”

They have three children, stepson Kai (13), Ben aged six and James aged two.

The couple have been engaged for seven years. Lee said: “This Christmas Jade is planning for her wedding and her funeral.”

Lee is overwhelmed with support from the local community who have rallied around to help the couple.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the couple financially and, after an online plea, local businesses have offered to give them a wedding to remember.

Wedding dresses and suits for the boys as well as photographers, catering, nails, cars, and even shoes were offered to the couple within hours.

In November last year Jade began having headaches and her doctor said she had nasal polyps (growths in her nasal passage) and gave her antibiotics.

Later she was given an appointment with the ENT unit at Craigavon Hospital but the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all appointments were cancelled.

Lee explained: “She was still getting the headaches and the polyps started to grow, so much so that her eyes were bulging from her head.

“We went to the Emergency Department at Craigavon in April and they carried out a CT scan. They diagnosed a tumour and we were told they had to operate on Jade as soon as possible. She was in the Royal Victoria Hospital the next week,” said Lee.

“She spent ten hours on the operating theatre and they said the tumour was in her nasal passage, behind her eye and right into her brain.

“They told us they had managed to get 90% of it and would do a follow up in a few weeks.

“About five weeks later the tumour came back and after a second operation they removed as much as they could.

“She has had four blocks of chemotherapy, three times a week.

“She had hours of treatment at Belfast City Hospital but it is a particularly aggressive type of cancer.

“At the end of her chemo she started radiotherapy in September. She had to be kept in hospital for seven weeks and couldn’t see the boys.

“She missed our six year old son’s birthday,” said Lee.

He said Jade suffered countless infections while in hospital. “It was one step forward and five steps back,” he said.

“She finished that treatment on November 15 but we had to go back to Craigavon Hospital when she started to get extreme pain in her legs and couldn’t move. She kept falling asleep so quickly.

“Last Thursday (December 17th) we were told it had spread to the back of her head and into her spinal chord and down her spine.

“On Friday she was told she had a couple of months to live,” said heartbroken Lee.

“When we found out she was so emotional. The one thing she was worried about was the boys. She didn’t want to leave the boys. Her drive in life was them,” said Lee.

He revealed that they are awaiting an autism diagnosis for their son Ben and Jade had given up her job to work with him.

“She dedicated herself to teaching him social skills. She has dedicated her life to the boys but that cancer has taken her away from them over the past year.”

Lee revealed that Jade has been a superb step mum to his eldest son Kai.

“He is broken up. I started going with Jade when he was five and she has been another mum to him.”

Speaking about the youngest boys, Lee said: “They don’t know the pain but I don’t want them to forget their mother. It’s just horrible.”

Lee is overwhelmed with the support the couple have received from family, friends and the local community.

“The support we have received since Jade’s diagnosis has been brilliant. People have offered us so much help, even putting money in the electric metre,” said the 37-year old.

“We got engaged seven years ago but life just got in the way of us getting married. The kids arrived and we just couldn’t afford it.

“Her final wish is to get married and it is going to be a fantastic day,” said Lee.

“People have donated their services for make-up, cars, suits and dresses, all in one day,” he said.

However Jade remains in hospital and Lee has been doing courses with the physiotherapist to help Jade in and out of her wheelchair.

“The cancer has paralysed her,” he said.

“I will do whatever it takes to make it a special day. Jade needs me now more than ever. It is going to be tough.

Lee said his employers T Knox Butchers in Portadown have been fantastic. “They have kept my job open and are always offering support. You couldn’t get better people to work for,” he said.

He said his family had set up a GoFundMe page to help with the funeral costs and the wedding.;

“We are not sure when the wedding will be yet. We will see how she is coping with the pain. We want to make it a great day for her but within her pain limits.

“She has banned black from her funeral and she hates being the centre of attention,” said Lee, who praised Jade’s brothers Roger Adam and Jamie as well as her dad Billy who has been a rock and on hand with the boys whenever he is needed.

“I’m losing my best friend and my kids are losing their mother to this horrible disease.”

Lee’s cousin Marianne Parker has set up the GoFundMe page. If you would like to contribute, check it out hereOwner inside during burglary: suspect fled across fields Read full story here-

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