Staff at QEQM recently granted a terminally-ill patient one of his last wishes by organising a wedding between the patient and his partner of 30 years on Friday 7 June.
Brian Leach was diagnosed with acute leukaemia the day before the wedding, which took place in a private room at QEQM, and it was one of Brian’s last wishes to marry his partner, Sandra.
Staff on the ward went above and beyond to make dream a reality by organising white linen decorations, flowers and music to be included on the day, creating a wonderful atmosphere for a beautiful occasion.
Nurses, doctors and consultants turned out in full force to witness the marriage, supporting and celebrating the newlyweds. Brian passed away at home the following day.
Mrs Leach said: “He had two wishes. To get married and to come home. He did them both.
"He was just loved by everybody. A gentle-man who always gave good advice. The type of man you could always go to."
Mr Leach was born in Mexborough in South Yorkshire but moved to Deal and was working as a miner at Betteshanger Colliery when he met Mrs Leach, a barmaid at the Admiral Keppel pub, in 1989.
They took over the running of the pub for eight years until they were able to buy the Granville Arms pub in 1997.
They closed the pub in March 2011 and made the most of retirement together enjoying holidays abroad.
Mrs Leach added: “He was a wonderful landlord, an absolute treasure.
“He would say that we had the best years in the pub. People always felt at home in our pub.”
Mr Leach also leaves a daughter, Nicola, and several grandchildren.
Thank you to our caring staff at QEQM who put in so much effort to make this happen for Brian and Sandra.
