Wedding moved for tragic boy battling cancer

THE parents of an 18-month-old boy who has an untreatable brain tumour have tied the knot after bringing forward their wedding by four months to ensure the youngster could be a pageboy.

Riley Plant has been battling the tumour since he was diagnosed in April, but doctors told his parents, Gavin and Lindsay Plant, earlier this month there is no hope of him surviving.

The couple, from Burnholme in York, admitted they have been left devastated by the revelations, but opted to bring their marriage forward from November so Riley could be one of the key figures at the wedding, which was staged on Sunday after being re-organised in just nine days.

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Mrs Plant, who already has two girls, Ebony, eight, and five-year-old Kelsy, managed to get her wedding dress made in time and the photographer, cars and venue – the Pavilion Hotel in Fulford – were re-arranged when they decided to bring the ceremony forward.

Plans are now underway to raise funds to take Riley on a dream holiday to Disneyland Paris.

His father, 24, a Private with the Royal Signals, said: “We’re trying to cram as much into the weeks he has left so that he’s happy, and so we have some good memories – because memories are all we’ll have after he’s gone.”

The couple first noticed that Riley was unwell at Christmas, when he starting being sick, but they put it down to his feeding.

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In the next few months, they noticed he was very unsteady on his feet and continued to be sick, but were told by their GP that Riley had a virus.

Two weeks before Easter, however, Riley stopped walking because he was so weak. His parents took him to York Hospital, where again they were reassured he was suffering from just a virus.

Unconvinced, they returned 
to the hospital after Easter, and a CT scan revealed a tumour on Riley’s brain.

On April 17, surgeons at Leeds General Infirmary operated, but they were unable to remove a small part of the tumour.

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Riley began a course of chemotherapy three weeks later, and doctors tested his spine and brain fluid which was found to be clear of cancer.

His grandmother, Simone Potter, 42, said: “Little Riley was very poorly during the chemo.

“Every side-effect you could think of, he got. He lost his spark, it was really hard to watch. It was a very tough time for the whole family, watching Riley being so poorly.”

Despite the family’s hopes that Riley would pull through, doctors found a shadow on the back of his neck during an MRI scan at the beginning of this month.

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Although they could not confirm it was a tumour, they told the family that it was a cluster of cells which could develop into a tumour. They also tested his brain and spinal fluid again – and found it was riddled with cancer.

Mrs Potter, who is Mr Plant’s mother and runs a beauty salon, said: “Unfortunately the doctors told us that there was nothing more they could do, and they were going to stop the treatment. They’ve told us to make the most of being with him, to do what he can do before he gets too ill.”

The family are planning to take Riley on two caravan holidays and to Cadbury World, as well as a break to Disneyland Paris with the help of the children’s charity, Make a Dream.

Doctors have not been able to put a timespan on how long Riley has left to live and while relatives and friends have so far donated £5,000, his family are intent on raising more.

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Mr Plant added: “We are just devastated – it’s like our whole world has been crushed. It feels like we are in a bubble. “We’re just trying to get on with things as best we can and keep ourselves busy.

“Riley’s nothing like he was before he was diagnosed and he never will be again, but since he finished his chemotherapy he has been much happier, smiling and dancing – he loves to dance. But his condition will only get worse.

“Every day we see him getting a little bit weaker and it’s heartbreaking. We just wanted him to be at the wedding – it wouldn’t have been special if he wasn’t there.”