My MIRACLE wedding

After a cancer diagnosis, Jessica Horton was told she had just 12 months to live

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK, TRACY GAYTON

Life has a funny way of throwing the unexpected at you. In 2019, I was happier than I’d ever been, planning a life together with my partner, Rob, enjoying my career as a product manager, and always busy socialising with friends. But then cancer happened. And before I knew it, my carefree life had been taken away from me and things would never be the same again.

I met Rob, then 37, in May 2017, when we started working together at a tour operator. We got on brilliantly and shared a love of skiing and holidays in the mountains. Our first date was a night in, giggling over the Eurovision Song Contest, and from then on, I knew he was The One.

Shock diagnosis

But just months into our relationship, in August 2017, I started experiencing sharp stomach pains and constipation. I’d go a whole week without going to the toilet, and when it didn’t get better, after a month of suffering, I made an appointment with my doctor.

I was prescribed mild laxatives and advised to eat more healthily, so I ditched ready meals and takeaway pizzas and upped my fruit-and-veg intake. Within three months, I’d dropped from 13st to 12st, but although I felt a little relief, the bloating persisted. Despite losing a stone in weight, my tummy still felt swollen and uncomfortable. I tried cutting gluten and dairy from my diet, but nothing helped, and in September 2018, I went back to the doctor.

I was referred for an ultrasound, and a bowel specialist diagnosed slow transit of food through the digestive system. I was told I’d need to continue taking laxatives for life.