THE heartbroken family of a young west Belfast woman have said it would be a "lovely honour" for people to sign the stem cell donors register following her death just a week after marrying her fiancé in hospital.
Eimear Gooderham (née Smyth) wed Philip in the early hours of last Thursday, after doctors had told her she was suffering multiple organ failure.
The 25-year-old died peacefully in hospital yesterday, with her husband and family at her side.
Her devastated father Sean, who campaigned tirelessly to find a potential stem cell match, said his "beautiful, inspiring" daughter would be buried in the wedding dress she never got to wear.
"I thought Eimear had showed me how to live, but in fact she had showed me how to die with dignity," he said.
Eimear, a make-up artist from the Coolnasilla area, was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in September 2016 shortly after she had graduated.
She underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy and was given the all-clear in spring 2017. But a few weeks later, she felt unwell and tests found it had returned.
In December 2017, Eimear was treated with an autologous stem cell transplant, intensive chemotherapy and her own stem cells returned afterwards to rescue her bone marrow from the effect of the treatment.
After five weeks in isolation she returned home and 100 days later was given the good news she was in remission.
But the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma returned for a second time and doctors said her best chance of survival was another stem cell transplant - this time from an anonymous donor.
Last year her father launched a campaign to help raise awareness of the stem cell register, which allows donors of the correct tissue types to be matched with patients.
He said at the time: "I can't fix my daughter, but someone else can, someone who could join the register and become the donor that Eimear desperately needs."
Last September, a match was found and Eimear underwent surgery. However, she suffered complications and lost her fight for life yesterday.
"Eimear was just so unlucky - the stem cell transplant was successful, but she was allergic to the anti-rejection drugs," he said.
"She just couldn't get past that, the doctors couldn't get it under control.
"Last Wednesday at 8pm, she took a turn for the worse, she was suffering organ failure.
"They said then it wouldn't be long, but Eimear being Eimear, she said 'I'll go when I'm ready'.
"She had a horrible last week, but she slipped away peacefully.
"The cancer didn't beat her, the surgery didn't beat her, she fought it so hard."
Mr Smyth spoke of his joy that his daughter was given her "last wish" when she married her fiancé Philip.
"They were due to get married in October but when they told us last Wednesday how close it was, we did everything we could so that they could get married.
"We got the priest out of bed and at 12.45am on Thursday morning, her and Philip were married.
"She used her mummy's wedding ring and Philip used my wedding ring and it was just so special.
"The next day we had a bit of a celebration in the hospital for them and even the next day we had a bit of a wedding cake, so she had a three-day wedding."
Mr Smyth said throughout her ordeal, Eimear never felt sorry for herself.
"After the doctors told me she had multiple organ failure, she asked me 'am I going to die'," he said.
"She said it's unfair daddy, but she had no self pity and said 'we have things to do'.
"We intend to give her the biggest send-off, a celebration of her life. She had said she doesn't want anyone in black, everyone should come in colour.
"She will be buried in her wedding dress. I may not have got to walk her down the aisle, but I will carry her up the aisle in her wedding dress.
"It may have been a short life, but she made the most of it and we have to remember the lovely memories she created, but we are just so incredibly sad."
Mr Smyth added that he hoped his daughter's battle would inspire others to become stem cell donors.
"It would be a lovely honour for people to join the stem cell register, to do it in Eimear's name," he said.
"It would mean the world to us if people join."
A celebration of Eimear's life will take place at St Teresa's Church, Glen Road, tomorrow at noon with burial in Milltown Cemetery.
- People aged 16 to 30 can become stem cell donors via Anthony Nolan and those aged 30-55 can do so via DKMS.
- Both charities will post out a kit and the recipient needs to swab their mouth and return by post.
