Scots mum with terminal cancer desperate to marry soulmate to make 'one big happy family'

Carrie Henderson, from Glasgow, started to feel unwell after giving birth to her fifth child and was later diagnosed with cervical cancer.

A mum with cervical cancer is set to marry her soulmate after discovering that her disease is terminal. Carrie Henderson, from Glasgow, started to feel unwell after giving birth to her fifth child, Paul, in 2021.

She was later diagnosed with cancer and, after medics discovered that it has spread, the mum was told that it was incurable. Carrie, 40, is now gearing up to marry partner Kevin Kelly next month.

Carrie met Kevin, 52, 13 years ago. The pair share Mandy, 10, and Paul, 3, together, while Carrie also has three children - Mark Henderson, 23, Chloe Anderson, 22, and Lee Anderson, 21 - from a previous relationship.

The couple get engaged in 2020 and Carrie hopes that their dream wedding at the Coats Paisley on November 21 will "unite [everyone] together and make [them] one big, happy family". They are being helped for their big day by Glasgow organisation Wedding Wish Makers.

After Carrie gave birth to Paul in 2021 she began to feel unwell and was suffering from various ailments, including ear and urine infections, but when they cleared up she still didn't feel herself.

She started to notice a lot of blood when she went to the toilet and visited her local GP, who performed a smear test and sent her for a biopsy. In October 2022, Carrie was diagnosed with Stage 3 cervical cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and went into remission in May 2023.

Sadly, however, the disease returned and spread to her lymph nodes. In October last year, the mum was told her cancer was terminal and that all medics could do is offer immunotherapy to prolong her life.

Carrie had to break the news to her devastated family but she says they have been there for her "every step of the way." Speaking to the Record, Carrie explained: "Life just seemed to stop at that point. All I could think about was my children and them growing up without a mum.

"My oldest daughter collapsed when I told her and my two older boys have just been so quiet but I know they are just trying to be strong for me. I just remember Kevin grabbing me in a big bear hug and squeezing tight, saying there must be something else they could do.

"But getting married will mean so much to me and it will unite us all as one big, happy family. Obviously, I don't have a long time left so when Wedding Wish Makers reached out to offer to help organise things, I was over the moon.

"We are getting all the kids involved and Mandy is going to be a flower girl. I am just so excited for the big day but also really nervous. People have been amazing with their generosity."

Carrie spends a lot of her time now raising awareness online trying to better educate people about the importance of smear tests. She initially thought that the tests were performed routinely during childbirth.

Carrie continued: "Young women need to be better informed. When I had ear and urine infections after Paul was born I knew something was up but I couldn't believe it was related to my cervix. Those were warning signs and I want people to be aware of the dangers."

Wedding Wish Makers are helping the family organise their big day and have created a fundraiser to help them with the cost. Donations can be made here.

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