A 26-year-old man told he had just 12 months to live pushed his wedding forward to marry the love of his life.

Dan Cassidy, from Accrington, was diagnosed with aggressive strain of leukaemia in March this year.

He had many things he wanted to do before he died, the the most important one was wedding his soul-mate Darcy Young.

The couple had been together 10 years and were able to push their wedding forward to tie the knot in July after they learned of Dan's tragic terminal cancer diagnosis.

"It was a perfect day," Dan told LancsLive .

"I wasn't feeling too good on the day, I don't know if that was the cancer or the nerves.

"I still had a great time but I couldn't be myself."

Dan was previously diagnosed with cancer in 2016 when he started to feel unwell while at a friend's barbeque.

He said: "I tried to stand up to go to the toilet and I just couldn't. I kept feeling a pain down my legs.

"My friend's wanted me to go out with them but once I was in the taxi I had to go back, I was in so much pain."

He continued: "We went to the hospital the next day and I was told I had leukaemia."

The doctor said that Dan had probably had the condition for two years and that the pain he was experiencing was from his white blood cells fighting aggressively against the cancer.

"He was in so much agony," said Darcy.

"He had dialysis to clean the blood but, whether it was the procedure or not, that caused him to have a bleed on the brain.

"He was transferred to Blackburn hospital and was put into an induced coma."

Things got worse for Dan as the doctors had to cease his cancer treatment while they dealt with the bleed.

But somehow he pulled through.

Following another bleed, brain surgery, strokes, rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Dan had a stem cell transplant from his mum and was discharged.

"Just before Christmas 2016, I came out of hospital," he said.

"Everything was working fine, I was feeling better and the cancer was in remission."

It was at this point that the 26-year-old decided that he wanted to ask Darcy a special question.

He said: "We have been together for 10 years, so we were due to get married.

"Obviously after I got out of hospital I just thought: life is so short."

Dan took Darcy to her grandparents' favourite place, Shireburn Arms, for a meal while her family decorated her room in secret.

He then gave her a box of chocolates with the words: 'Will you marry me?' iced onto them.

"He asked with chocolates," said Darcy.

"Thats how he asked me to be his girlfriend when I was 15."

The couple planned to marry in November 2019 and Dan continued to have regular check ups every three months.

In March this year Dan came out in a rash and was later told by a doctor that his cancer had returned.

"At the next appointment they said it had come back really aggressively," said Dan.

"They told me I had 12 months to live, that everyone that has had this before doesn't live past 12 months."

Darcy says the consultant was crying when she delivered the news to them.

"It didn't give us much hope," she said.

"She must have to deliver news like that all the time. I think I was in denial at first, I just thought: this can't be happening again."

Once Dan got his diagnosis the wedding became the main focus for the couple and they tied the knot in Clitheroe, in front of their family and friends.

Darcy said: "I didn't know if he would make it to the wedding but he did and it was so lovely.

"It was amazing to have all of our family and friends there to celebrate.

"All the venues and all the businesses we wanted to use made it happen for us - we couldn't ask for anything more."

The couple now live together with their dog Teddy, they are trying to enjoy the present day.

Darcy said: "We just want to seize the moment, every minute we can."

The couple want to share their story in the hope that more people will become aware of leukaemia and sign up to stem cell donor lists.

They continue to raise money for the charity Anthony Nolan who keep a register of stem cell donors.

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Man with terminal cancer battles back from coma to marry his childhood sweetheart - Mirror Online