The 23-year-old terminally-ill bride who has gone viral thanks to her determination to marry the love of her life despite her degrading health has passed away days after tying the knot with her partner.
Ashleigh Simrajh from Australia was an inspirational young woman who used her condition to encourage other people to undergo skin checks ever since she was diagnosed with cancer.
Despite suffering from a terminal illness, she refused to give up and survived long enough to marry the love of her life, Jason Hale, in a tear-jerking ceremony in front of fifty supportive friends and family members on September 5.
As the bride’s father, Tony, revealed, the nuptials that took place on the Gold Coast represent both the happiest as well as the saddest moment of his life.
“We got told in late August that she had one to three days to live and her strength to still be here 12 days later to get married just showed how important it was for her,” the loving father expressed in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.
Just over a week after the beautiful ceremony, Jason has confirmed that his wife had passed away in an emotional tribute in which he described Ashleigh as “kind, selfless and caring” and thanked her for being his wife.
“Words cannot describe the pain I’m feeling right now, I’m absolutely devastated and my heart is completely shattered,” Jason wrote.
“You were so brave and strong and I know that you tried your absolute best fighting this battle, you couldn’t have tried any harder than you did. I’m so proud of you babe.”
As the heartbroken husband added, he feels “completely empty inside” as if he was trapped “in this horrible dream which I can’t escape.”
In his tribute, Jason also explained how the pair envisioned raising kids, traveling the world, and growing old together.
“I needed you in my life. You were my best friend. I don’t know whereabouts you are now, but I hope I can find you again very soon. For now my precious angel, fly high,” he concluded.
As Ashleigh’s father Tony previously explained, his daughter first visited a general practitioner back in 2018 after noticing a strange spot on her leg. After the then-20-year-old was told she had a wart, she was allegedly referred to a specialist who turned out to be “a general surgeon who again told her it was cosmetic and would cost $2,500 to get removed.”
As the upset father added, neither of the two doctors who checked his daughter performed a biopsy whereas they both reassured her that “it wasn’t anything to worry about.”
As time passed, Ashleigh’s lump continued to grow and became more painful. After the spot started bleeding, she knew it was time to pay a visit “to another doctor who immediately did a biopsy and told her two days later it was melanoma.”
“Let down is not how I would describe it. I would describe it as we have been betrayed as she trusted the medical professionals,” Tony expressed.
“She believed them and continued her life as if nothing was wrong. If it had been diagnosed when she first went to see them she wouldn’t be where she is now.”
To get her daughter’s message across, Ashleigh’s parents have launched a case against the two practitioners who misdiagnosed their daughter.
As they insisted, they are not after money but want to see doctors “owning up to their errors and taking responsibility.”
“If you don’t feel like the doctors are doing the basic things like a biopsy get someone else to check it as well,” Tony advised.
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