There’s no better time than now. An engaged British couple thought postponing their wedding was no big deal. Then found out the groom-to-be had an aggressive form of cancer and decided to get married immediately — and the staff at the hospice joined in the celebration without hesitation.
Karl Marsh has known Sarah Wooley since 2010. Their love story has had its ups and downs. Every romantic tale has days where they’re on and then they’re back off, only to realize there’s nobody better — just ask Ben Affleck. For Karl and Sarah, Christmas 2022 was when they decided to finally rekindle their relationship, just like your favorite Hallmark guilty pleasure films.
“We should have done it years ago,” Wooley now admits. But soon after their rekindling, in 2024 Marsh was found to have cancer. Marsh and Wooley then expedited their wedding plans to Nov. 22. But then life threw them another spanner in the works.
Wooley explained, “When he came home again, I felt his symptoms had worsened, so I liaised with the hospice and planned his re-admission on Saturday, 8 November. However, we had our wedding planned for 22 November, and we decided we wanted to bring this forward.”
Emergency prep begins
Reverend David Clark acted quickly to get the pair a marriage license. The rest of the staff at the hospice handled the decoration and sprang into action to ensure the couple could tie the knot. Soon the Therapy & Wellness Center at the KHH was furnished with a flower arrangement and a white carpet aisle. Furthermore, they had a photographer to capture their special day.
Per People, Wooley only had praise for the institution. She said, “I have all the love and support from the care team. Nothing is too much trouble,” she said. “I need everyone to know what a truly amazing place this is… the support is out of this world!”
It’s very rare that hospice staff get the opportunity to moonlight as ushers at a wedding. It really just goes to show that their jobs are more than taking care of people who are struggling with their health. Their jobs are also about ensuring all our humanity is preserved and protected all the way — whether we recover or otherwise.
The KHH Head of Fundraising released a statement in response to the event that read, “I have all the love and support from the care team. Nothing is too much trouble. I need everyone to know what a truly amazing place this is… the support is out of this world!”
Published: Nov 17, 2025 09:19 am