Man told he’d be dead in three weeks after bruising on his arm lead to shock diagnosis | UK | News

A man has been left shocked after being given just three weeks to live after noticing bruising on his arm which led to a cancer diagnosis. Rhys Chambers received the shock diagnosis on the eve of his wedding to his fiancee Mollie White. The couple had to call off their dream wedding in Las Vegas. Rhys, 29, first realized something was wrong when he saw the bruising at work.

He was hospitalized with a suspected meningitis rash, but was later diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer – acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Rhys and Mollie, 25, who have been together for five years, had to call off their dream wedding in the US in July when he started treatment.

Family and friends have started raising funds to help the couple marry in the UK following Rhys’ heartbreaking diagnosis.

To help her cause, Mollie’s sister Lucy Wilson has organized a sponsored walk from the Humber Bridge to Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham and is hoping to get as many people involved as possible, reports Grimsby Live.

Explaining how quickly the couple’s world was turned upside down, she said the first thing she heard about it was when Mollie sent her pictures of the unusual bruising on Rhy’s arm.

Rhys decided to go to the doctors after noticing the strange bruising, where he was referred for further tests.

Lucy said: “The doctors immediately said he needed to call 999 and they thought it might be meningitis. When he got to the hospital, they measured the platelet levels in his blood.

“Normally it was around 120,000 to 140,000, but with Rhys it was 12. At that point they thought he might have anemia or leukemia.”

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Then they were told how serious it was. Lucy said: “We’re just glad he left when he did because the doctors said if he hadn’t he would have been dead in three weeks.”

Rhys was diagnosed at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby and then transferred to Castle Hill Hospital in East Yorkshire, where he will undergo treatment. “It was just awful to hear and it still doesn’t feel real to be honest,” Lucy said.

Unfortunately, the couple also lost all of the money they put into their Las Vegas wedding because they hadn’t yet purchased insurance to cover it. “They both love to travel and this would have been the wedding of their dreams,” said Lucy.

“Rhys had been working every hour under the sun to make sure Mollie got the wedding she deserved. It was horrifying to see my sister being so upset every day, having to work a full day and then travel to see Rhys at Castle Hill. I hate seeing her go through all of this.”

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To give the couple something to look forward to, Lucy and other friends have decided to hold a charity walk to raise enough money to allow the couple to get married in England.

Lucy said: “They would do anything for each other and we just want to make sure they get the wedding they deserve. We’re hoping to raise as much as we can for them, but also to make people aware of this type of wedding and cancer.”

She added, “People always say, ‘I’ll never be,’ but it was this time and you never know when it might be.” The family is urging anyone with similar symptoms to see a doctor and themselves to be examined to prevent this from happening to him.

Those doing the walk start at the Humber Bridge and walk towards Castle Hill, some start at Rhys’s house in Grimsby. To donate to the fundraiser, click here.