Burnley mum brings her wedding forward so her cancer stricken daughter can share her special day and see her tie the knot

Suzi Folley’s daughter Danielle Harker (33) is currently in Pendleside Hospice after she was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer eight months ago which has now turned to stage four.

Danielle has two children, Shae, (three, and son Arlo (two) with husband Anthony Harker, and they live in Lowerhouse, Burnley.

Suzi (58) was meant to be getting married on April 16th but will now tie the knot with Jonathan Wiggins tomorrow at Burnley Register Office.

“My last day out with Danielle, before she went into the Royal Blackburn and then Pendleside Hospice five weeks ago, was choosing my wedding dress.

"It was such a special day, I look back on it and I am so glad we did it,” said Suzi, a physiotherapist at East Lancashire Hospital Trust.

“Unfortunately Danielle can’t be there, due to risk of infections, but she can watch it on Zoom and then we will call in after for a glass of champagne and bite of cake."

Danielle, who is a manager at Starbucks in Burnley, was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an inflammation of the bowel, when she was 17.

She had medical treatment but didn’t want any surgery although, as she got older and talked to fellow Crohn’s sufferers, she realised one day there may be a need for it’.

She had an Ileostomy eight months ago but she had to have it – the cancer had been diagnosed by then.

Danielle didn’t feel right and was in an out of A&E with problems but hospital staff were insistent that the pain was Crohn’s disease related.

However, on one trip, she stood firm and said she wasn’t leaving until she had further tests including an MRI and CT scan and at that point they found it was cancer.

A young mum, Suzi admitted Danielle was ‘listless and exhausted’ as she went through six rounds of chemotherapy and she also had septicaemia, pneumonia and ear and throat infections.

Danielle wanted to have a family Christmas and found out just after the festive season that it was stage four – and had spread to her uterus, pelvic lymph nodes, liver and rectum.

“We were heartbroken. Danielle is still having treatment but we go from thinking she may have days to live, to doctors proposing more treatment so it is a rollercoaster.

“We have talked about her death, on Danielle’s agreement.

“She is in bits as she is fighting so hard for her children. They are her life and she will do everything she can to stay alive for them, they are her reason for battling on.

“She has been through so much already – kidney failure and surgery, fluid on her lungs, her tumour stoma has herniated through her abdomen but she is so brave. ‘She is a Princess Warrior.'

Anthony has his own fitness AH Personal Training Studio and he is working every hour he can to make money for the family.

He has been helped by Suzi, along with Danielle’s dad Mark Folley, who has come over from America, along with Anthony’s mum Julie Richardson.

Suzi has started a gofundme page for the children’s future.

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