Bride who was wed and widowed in 48 days receives gift from husband from beyond the grave

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By VT

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A woman who lost her husband of 48 days to cystic fibrosis has opened up about the heartwarming gift she received from him after his death.

Darren Easton died peacefully on the morning of January 23 at the age of 24, due to complications relating to genetic lung disease.

His wife Lauren was devastated by the loss, but little did she know that Darren had asked a mutual friend to give his childhood sweetheart a special teddy bear, which spoke with a recording of his voice telling her that he loved her.

Lauren first fell in love with Darren when they were 16, and both patients suffering from CF at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London. They were friends for many years but became a couple on New Year’s Eve 2015 whilst watching fireworks from their hospital window.

They were engaged three months later, after Darren’s condition worsened, forcing him to have a lung transplant. On November 27 2018, doctors told Darren that he had just weeks to live.

An image of Darren and Lauren Easton.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

The couple couldn't afford a marriage ceremony, but they launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, and thanks to the generous donations of strangers, they were wed.

Not long after, Darren passed away, but he had time before his death to leave Lauren a precious gift she says she will cherish always. Commenting on the surprise present in a recent interview, Lauren stated:

"Just after Darren died a friend of ours, Sarah Cherryman, came over and gave me a huge teddy bear. I was still very upset and didn’t really understand, but she said, ‘Give it a squeeze,’ and when I did it was Darren’s voice saying, ‘Hi baby, just saying I love you and I miss you. You’ll be my world forever and always.’

"It was so thoughtful of him to have done that for me, because I was worried about forgetting the sound of his voice and now I never will. The teddy sits in Darren’s place on the sofa at home and I squeeze him whenever I want to hear him again."

Teddy bear sent by Darren to Lauren.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

She added:

"Sometimes, on a good day, I’d think to myself that he could go on and on and last forever. But even during the worst times he was always positive and always joking, never giving in to the sadness of it all ...  I wasn’t surprised at all.

"If there’s one thing I know about Darren it’s that he’s stubborn. He wasn’t just going to slip away when they told him to. He spent his whole life fighting this illness and would fight it right until the end."

Darren's funeral is currently planned for February 12 at St Mary’s Church in Harefield. Lauren is grieving, but busy making sure the ceremony is perfect. If you'd like to help Lauren, and other cystic fibrosis sufferers, then please consider donating to her special fund.

Bride who was wed and widowed in 48 days receives gift from husband from beyond the grave

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

A woman who lost her husband of 48 days to cystic fibrosis has opened up about the heartwarming gift she received from him after his death.

Darren Easton died peacefully on the morning of January 23 at the age of 24, due to complications relating to genetic lung disease.

His wife Lauren was devastated by the loss, but little did she know that Darren had asked a mutual friend to give his childhood sweetheart a special teddy bear, which spoke with a recording of his voice telling her that he loved her.

Lauren first fell in love with Darren when they were 16, and both patients suffering from CF at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London. They were friends for many years but became a couple on New Year’s Eve 2015 whilst watching fireworks from their hospital window.

They were engaged three months later, after Darren’s condition worsened, forcing him to have a lung transplant. On November 27 2018, doctors told Darren that he had just weeks to live.

An image of Darren and Lauren Easton.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

The couple couldn't afford a marriage ceremony, but they launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding page, and thanks to the generous donations of strangers, they were wed.

Not long after, Darren passed away, but he had time before his death to leave Lauren a precious gift she says she will cherish always. Commenting on the surprise present in a recent interview, Lauren stated:

"Just after Darren died a friend of ours, Sarah Cherryman, came over and gave me a huge teddy bear. I was still very upset and didn’t really understand, but she said, ‘Give it a squeeze,’ and when I did it was Darren’s voice saying, ‘Hi baby, just saying I love you and I miss you. You’ll be my world forever and always.’

"It was so thoughtful of him to have done that for me, because I was worried about forgetting the sound of his voice and now I never will. The teddy sits in Darren’s place on the sofa at home and I squeeze him whenever I want to hear him again."

Teddy bear sent by Darren to Lauren.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

She added:

"Sometimes, on a good day, I’d think to myself that he could go on and on and last forever. But even during the worst times he was always positive and always joking, never giving in to the sadness of it all ...  I wasn’t surprised at all.

"If there’s one thing I know about Darren it’s that he’s stubborn. He wasn’t just going to slip away when they told him to. He spent his whole life fighting this illness and would fight it right until the end."

Darren's funeral is currently planned for February 12 at St Mary’s Church in Harefield. Lauren is grieving, but busy making sure the ceremony is perfect. If you'd like to help Lauren, and other cystic fibrosis sufferers, then please consider donating to her special fund.