Weddings themselves are a statement of love. A couple stands up before close friends and family to express their devotion for one another. Joan Lyons from Liverpool, England made a bold and beautiful statement on her wedding day, that goes above and beyond the expression of love we have come to expect. She chose to shave her head in support of her terminally ill husband, Craig, by shaving her head.
The story was first shared by a blog called The Way We Met which tells the touching stories of how couples ended up together. In their post, the wedding photographer, Kimberley Struth, spoke briefly about what it was like to capture that moment, "It was very emotional..." she said, "but the love these two have for each other filled every inch of the room." She said that it was one of the happiest weddings she's ever shot.
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The couple first met when they were 14-years-old. Craig claims that he always knew that he loved her, saying, "I've loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her." It wasn't until 30 years later that he finally told her how he felt about her. "I was a bit shy about it and Joan has been married previously, but she was always the only one for me," he shared.
"That is how we are," Joan said sharing the story of how Craig proposed, milkshake in hand, at a McDonald's. “That is our little heaven enjoying the simple things, as long as we’re together.”
When Craig was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2015 and given nine to 12 months to live, the childhood friends turned couple rescheduled their wedding day turning it into a fundraising event.
“On our wedding night, our celebration party will also serve as a fundraising event where I will complete my head shave task in his honour and to honour and support those affected by life limiting illness,” Lyons wrote on her fundraising page.
In front of all of their guests, Joan shaved her head as an act of solidarity to Craig and others affected by terminal illnesses. The bride donated her hair to a charity that makes wigs for severely ill children called the Little Princess Trust. In addition, they auctioned off sports memorabilia donating the proceeds to a number of cancer research and hospice care organizations.
According to the Instagram post from The Way We Met, Craig passed away just before Christmas of 2016.
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