THERE was barely a dry eye in the church when two-year-old Robbie Jones fulfilled his parents’ dream on their wedding day.
For he walked down the aisle in Elvet Methodist Church, Durham City, as page boy on his new prosthetic legs.
It will be a year tomorrow that Jill Graham and Wayne Jones were forced to cancel their marriage when Robbie was taken ill with meningitis.
He spent seven weeks in hospital with his parents at his bedside. He had to have both legs amputated, one above and one just below the knee, and he also had to have the ends of his fingers amputated.
Robbie has made a good recovery, but must wear prosthetic legs, which will require regular updating as he grows.
Family and friends of the couple have mounted a fundraising campaign to ensure he always has the best leg fittings available.
Only weeks after having his latest prosthetic limbs fitted, Robbie, accompanied by cousin Stephen, an usher for the day, walked down the aisle at Saturday’s service.
He followed five-year-old sister Abbie to join his parents for the service.
Following the ceremony, the wedding celebration moved on to Durham City Rugby Club for a reception and an evening party.
But many of the next few hours were lost on Robbie.
His mother, Jill, said: “We got into the rugby club after all the photos and sat down, and he fell asleep at around 3.30pm.
“It was just before seven when he woke up and all he wanted to do then was to dance all night.
“But we’d taken his legs off and he didn’t really want them on with it being so hot, so he was just passed from one person to another and he was really the centre of attention.”
The wedding marked the end of a traumatic 12 months for the couple, from Bowburn near Durham City, who had already cancelled their wedding plans once, when Wayne suffered a broken leg playing football.
“It’s been a bad year, but it was absolutely great that Robbie could walk down the aisle and we’re now really looking forward to the honeymoon,”
they said.
The family is preparing to fly to Tenerife tomorrow, the anniversary of the outbreak of Robbie’s illness.
The new Mrs Jones said she was thrilled with her wedding dress, which was provided by The Northern Echo and bridalwear store Heart of Durham.
“I was absolutely over the moon with it.
“It was beautiful and everyone was commenting on it. It couldn’t have been better,”
she added.
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