Groom who blamed stomach issues on wedding stress given heartbreaking diagnosis weeks after ceremony
It's not unusual for wedding stress to take a physical toll on people, especially when you're working all the hours that god sends to pay for it.
So when Ashley Robinson began experiencing some worrying stomach issues and doctors allegedly told him 'you're fine, go and get married', he took their advice.
But just weeks after his big day, the 35-year-old received the news that he had stage four bowel cancer.
It came as a 'hammer blow' to the newlywed couple, with Ashley saying his wife Jasmin was left 'absolutely crushed' by his diagnosis.
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The chef is now urging other people who notice unusual symptoms to get checked out and take a persistent approach with their GPs, rather than pushing it to the back of their minds like he did.
Ashley explained that in May last year, he started passing 'quite a lot of blood' when he went for a number two - and a month later, the problem had 'started getting worse'.
The groom, from Hertfordshire, explained that he got in touch with his GP to discuss his concerns, but says he was told 'it wasn't serious'.
"[They] told me not to worry and that it would pass in a week or so," Ashley said. "I told them that it had already been going on for a month, but they just said to leave it another week.
"Personally, I thought it was stress related, because it had come on rapidly while we were getting stuff ready for the wedding. We were working very, very hard for it and I was working a minimum of 60 hours per week. If I didn't have the wedding, I probably would have taken it more seriously."
While continuing to feel the pressure of organising his nuptials, Ashley's stomach issues only got worse - and he ended up being rushed to A&E after passing 'the most insane amount of blood'.
The chef said that he informed the doctor that his great grandmother had passed away from colon cancer, but claims the medic told him 'there was no chance' he had it as he was 'too young'.
"I went home with medication and took that for two weeks, but nothing changed," he continued. "I had my stag do coming up and the actual wedding in July, so I just pushed it to the back of mind and thought I would deal with it later.
"The wedding was so consuming and I was being told by every health professional that I definitely didn't have cancer. They were saying 'you're fine, don't worry, go and get married' so I took their word for it."
He got wed to Jasmine on 20 July last year - but the newlywed's honeymoon period was short-lived, as Ashley's health continued to decline.
He began experiencing rapid weight loss, shedding a whopping 12kg in just seven days - but he claims that his GP once again dismissed his symptoms, suggesting they were a result of piles.
Jasmine eventually 'stormed in' the doctor's surgery and demanded that further investigations be carried out, resulting in Ashley being referred for a colonoscopy.
Tragically, medics found a tumour which was 'the size of an orange' in his colon and the newlywed was informed that he had stage four bowel cancer, which has spread to his liver, last August.
"It was the worst news possible," Ashley said. "It's so hard to put into words the hammer blow, it absolutely crushed my wife. Aside from it happening to her, it was the worst possible news I ever could have had."
In September, he began immunotherapy treatment and by January this year, his tumour had shrunk by 90% - which are 'incredible' results which have even wowed his oncologist.
He went on: "I couldn't believe it. I never thought they were going to say that it had shrunk by 90%, it was incredible. But if they'd found it in May, then they might have been able to give me a treatment before it had spread to my liver.
"At the time it was obviously earth-shattering news, and I couldn't contemplate what was going on but now that I'm on the mend, it's very frustrating."
"When something's not right, you know your own body," Ashley added. "When I rang the GP, I thought they would have made more of a thing of it but it just seemed like they didn't want to know."
Ashley is still having immunotherapy treatment and hopes to continue seeing positive results at his regular check-ups.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board said: "People are often the best judge of what's 'normal' for their bodies. NHS advice is always to encourage anyone with worrying symptoms to seek advice and to ask again if they are still worried.
"If patients are concerned or unhappy about the care they receive from their GP practice, we encourage them to first of all contact their practice's patient services team.
"If they feel that the practice hasn't resolved their concerns, they can then get in touch with the integrated care board's patient experience team who will discuss the options open to them. We have not previously been made aware of this case but can follow it up on the patient's behalf if they contact us and give their permission for us to do this."
A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said: "We aim to provide outstanding care to all our patients and we are very sorry for what has happened to Mr Robinson. We would encourage him to contact the Trust directly to discuss any concerns he has with the treatment he received. Our thoughts are with Mr Robinson and his family at this difficult time."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Olivia Burke