Elaine dies four months after wedding
Elaine O’Brien (née Ryan) had brought her wedding day forward by a year as she knew she was dying. She passed away in December surrounded by her loved ones at home in Nicker, Pallasgreen, Co Limerick, and was buried with the Christmas presents she didn’t get a chance to open.
Despite her failing health, she went out with her aunt Hanora to buy Christmas presents for her family on Dec 19. Elaine died the next day.
On the Monday before Christmas, Elaine was laid to rest with the presents that were bought for her.
“We gave them to her a week earlier and told her to open them but she said she would wait until Christmas Day. She said she was really looking forward to them.
“We bought her jeans, jumper, and pair of Ugg boots she was mad about. We put them into the grave with her,” said Hanora.
Elaine is survived by her daughter Lexi, 4, and husband Pakie.
The couple planned to get married on Aug 7, 2014 — the wedding anniversary of her parents. However, after her health deteriorated in mid-2013 it was brought forward to Aug 7, 2013.
She was only diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2012.
“It started off like a little pimple on the side of her tongue. They told us in the hospital it is normally old people that would have been chewing tobacco all their lives that get it,” Hanora said.
“We would ask her if she was in pain and she would always say no.”
After a haemorrhage in mid-2013, the doctors told Elaine they couldn’t do any more for her.
“I said to her then, ‘What was the one thing she wanted to do?’ and she said she wanted to get married,” said Hanora.
Seven weeks later, Elaine was walking down the aisle in Nicker church with Pakie, and Lexi as flower girl.
“If you didn’t know it you would never have thought she was sick,” said Hanora.
Instead of gathering to celebrate Elaine’s 26th birthday on Jan 24, family and friends will join together on the following day in Nicker church for her month’s mind Mass.
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