Teenage wedding will be a dream come true for Whitnash couple

A Whitnash teenager who has a life-limiting illness will have a dream come true when he marries his devoted girlfriend next month.
Matt King, 18, has a rare type of cancer which will limit his life. He and his girlfriend Lizzy Waterfield are getting married in November. NNL-140810-015717009Matt King, 18, has a rare type of cancer which will limit his life. He and his girlfriend Lizzy Waterfield are getting married in November. NNL-140810-015717009
Matt King, 18, has a rare type of cancer which will limit his life. He and his girlfriend Lizzy Waterfield are getting married in November. NNL-140810-015717009

Matt King, 18, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma - a type of cancer - which affects only ten people in England each year.

The original prognosis was that he would live between nine months and five years, but after a recent course of chemotherapy at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Matt was told that traces of his cancer are no longer visible, meaning he could now live for longer.

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Throughout his treatment Matt has had his girlfriend of two years Lizzy Waterfield - also 18 - by his side and he proposed to her when he returned home from the hospital.

He said: “Lizzy is the strongest person I know, having her to support me has been amazing.

“Getting married was something we had talked about but with my illness it brought it forward.

“With the news that my treatment had gone well we are in a much better place and we can now get excited about the wedding. Everyone has been supportive and with what has happened they’ve had no problem with it.”

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The couple, who met at Myton church’s Christian youth group Meltdown, had been friends for several years before they got together.

Matt is currently taking a break from work and education while he undergoes treatment while Lizzy, also of Whitnash, is planning to train as a nurse. Their wedding will take place at St Margaret’s church in Whitnash on Saturday November 8.

Lizzy said: “Matt has coped really well, I don’t know how he does it.

“We’re both really excited and everyone has been lovely. My neighbour has paid for my dress and so many people have come forward to help. We only wanted a register office but now it will be a proper white wedding.”

Matt and Lizzy are encouraging people to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust www.teenagecancertrust.org

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