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Last wish: Dad, 31, wants to marry sweetheart before he dies

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A man who has been given months to live has one wish before he dies – to marry his sweetheart.

Knill Paget was diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumour in February.

The news caused mixed emotions – Knill feels determined to survive, gratitude for every day he is alive and sadness at the thought of leaving his five-year-old son, Liam.

However, his main desire is to marry Liam's mum, Bernadette Campbell, and for them to become a "proper family" for his final days.

The family, from Braunstone, Leicester, are now fund-raising hard to pay for a planned wedding next month.

Knill, 31, said: "I've never been religious, and never thought I'd ever want to get married for that reason.

"But now I want to make that commitment and it's about giving Bernadette and Liam a proper family."

Knill, who has been with Bernadette for more than eight years, was diagnosed in February after he suffered two seizures in a short period of time.

While he was initially distraught at being told about the tumour, he said his outlook was now more positive.

"It was obviously very upsetting news. I had radiation treatment, but now any more of that would give me serious brain damage, so I've probably got six to nine months, or maybe less," said Knill.

"I am still determined to beat it, though. I want to be a miracle case, or at least get as much time as I can.

"This has totally changed me. I've gone from being quite a negative person to a much more positive one. And for some reason I really love eating fish now – I used to hate it, now I crave it all the time.

"The only time I cry is when I think about leaving my son. That makes me well up."

Bernadette, along with Knill's mum, Lorraine, is working hard to raise the £4,000 they need for the wedding, which they hope to have on July 25 at Sacred Heart Church in Mere Road, Spinney Hills, Leicester, with about 80 guests.

Bernadette, 44, said: "I can't wait to marry Knill, and Liam is very excited, too.

"He knows his dad is poorly, so he's being really good and helpful and he's been picking out wedding dresses for me, saying, 'Mum, you'd look really nice in this one'.

"There's a charity called The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, which puts on weddings for terminally-ill people and they're going to help out and be there on the day. We're going to have a nice wedding in the church and then a reception in a hotel nearby, probably."

On Sunday, June 23, Bernadette and Lorraine are holding a sale outside Lorraine's home in Duncan Avenue, Huncote, and Lorraine is collecting prizes for a raffle to raise money.

Bernadette said: "We've got about £1,500 and we'll need about £4,000, so we're selling all sorts to try to raise a bit more."

If you would like to do something to help Knill achieve his dream, contact Mercury reporter Tom Mack on 0116 222 4264, or e-mail:

tommack@leicestermercury.co.uk

Last wish:  Dad, 31, wants to marry sweetheart before he dies


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