Terminally ill nurse, 49, set to marry partner after devastating cancer diagnosis

A terminally ill Ayrshire nurse is set to marry her partner thanks to the kindness of strangers. Debbie Young, 49, is planning her dream day just months after she was struck down with myeloma – an incurable form of blood cancer.The proud gran-of-four dedicated 33 years of her life to the NHS before she took ill after a shift at Crosshouse Hospital in November last year, when she knew “something wasn’t right.”Her GP was instantly concerned that the mum, who has two children from a previous relationship, had myeloma.

And their worst fears were confirmed following tests.Debbie, from Kilmarnock, was already engaged to marry her sweetheart Andrew Steed, 53, after he popped the question last spring.Now the couple, who have been together for 10 years, hope to tie-the-knot in front of friends and family at a special ceremony at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick on March 20.Andrew, originally from Cumnock, but now staying in Hurlford, told Ayrshire Live: “Debbie has been a nurse for 33 years, she’s dedicated her life to it.“She was diagnosed with myeloma last November, there’s no cure for it, all we can do is hope it slows down.“She was working at Ward 5a at Crosshouse Hospital.

When she came out after a shift she was walking down the corridor and knew something wasn’t right. “She started becoming constantly tired, it was so sudden. “We went to the doctor, he took one look at her and feared it was myeloma. “The GP happened to study it at university and he just knew by looking at her. “It was such a shock, Debbie had already had blood tests done two weeks before that. “But that is what myeloma is like, one minute it’s not there and next minute it’s there with a vengeance.“We were always going to get married in September time but