In a story that embodies both profound love and heartbreaking loss, Jade Tabrar, 37, fulfilled her final wish by marrying her childhood sweetheart Adam Kemp, 42, only to pass away peacefully in his arms just hours later. The couple, who had been inseparable for 19 years, exchanged vows during an intimate ceremony at their Milton Keynes home on November 3, creating one final, precious memory together before Jade lost her battle with aggressive stomach cancer.
A Race Against Time
The couple's journey took a devastating turn when Jade was diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2023. The diagnosis came after she experienced significant weight loss, difficulty eating during her pregnancy, and severe stomach pains. Initially, doctors had attributed her symptoms to the strain of her final pregnancy, but after giving birth to a healthy 7lb baby boy in February 2023, her condition worsened dramatically.
What began as Stage 2 stomach cancer rapidly escalated to Stage 4, with the disease spreading to her womb and ovaries by September. Medical professionals delivered the crushing news that Jade had only three months left to live. "It floored her," Adam recalled. "It made her so ill and so sick, but she was so brave and just kept going, fighting the cancer all the way. And all the time being an amazing partner and an amazing mother."
The Wedding of Their Dreams
Faced with limited time, the couple decided to accelerate their wedding plans. They had always dreamed of marrying but had joked about waiting until their 20th anniversary in November 2026 for their perfect celebration. With Jade's deteriorating health, they knew they couldn't wait.
Friends and the local hospice team rallied to organize what would become their final celebration together. They arranged the necessary paperwork, secured a registrar, prepared a wedding cake, and organized a buffet. In a particularly touching detail, Jade, who had been adopted as a baby and had no biological family of her own, asked Adam's father to walk her down the aisle.
She wore a cherished bridesmaid dress from his wedding years earlier, which friends had to quickly alter due to Jade's significant weight loss from her illness. The ceremony took place at 2pm in the couple's home, with Jade being wheeled up the hallway as Adam waited to wheel her into the room where they would become husband and wife.
Final Moments Together
Adam described the emotionally charged ceremony: "I knelt down beside her during the ceremony so we could be on the same level. We said 'I do,' and she reached up, brushed my tears away and said 'Don't cry, I love you.' Everyone there was in floods of tears and said they have never seen a wedding filled with so much love."
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed the buffet while Adam helped Jade rest on the sofa. They shared precious final moments together before he helped her into her pyjamas as the evening wound down. Later that night, Adam noticed her breathing had changed and called Willen Hospice, who confirmed that the end was near.
In her final conscious moments, Jade looked into her new husband's eyes and shared her last words: "She looked me in the eye and said she was so glad she got to be Mrs Kemp and have our family. Then her head slumped, and I knew her soul had left. She had gone."
Adam stayed by her side, their heads touching. "I said: 'I love you, baby. It's okay, you can go now, no more pain.' We stayed like that for a while, just us," he shared. At 10:45pm on November 3, just hours after becoming husband and wife, Jade passed away peacefully in Adam's arms.
Life After Loss
Adam has now quit his job to care for their five children, left to navigate life without the woman he loved since his teens. Despite the overwhelming grief, he finds comfort in their final day together. "It was the most amazing day, such a perfect day. I got to finally marry the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you forever and always, Jade Louise Kemp," he expressed.
To support Adam and their children during this difficult time, friends have increased the target of Jade's original fundraising page to £4,000. Initially created to fulfill items on Jade's bucket list—which primarily focused on ensuring her children had the best Christmas—the funds will now help cover funeral costs and support the family as they adjust to life without their beloved mother and partner.
The story of Jade and Adam serves as a powerful reminder of love's enduring strength in the face of life's greatest challenges, and how precious moments can be created even in the darkest of times.
