Latest news with #Dean Dunphy
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘My husband had cancer and died just three days after our wedding'
A widow whose husband had cancer and died just three days after their wedding has said she believes he "held on" to marry her before "going up to the angels". Dean Dunphy, 33, was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma, in August 2023 after experiencing stroke-like symptoms and muscle twitching - with doctors describing the condition as "an old man's disease". His wife Michaela Dunphy, 31, who worked in admin and lives in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, said Dean underwent two brain surgeries to remove cancerous tissue, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but the tumour kept growing.
The Sun
07-08-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My husband, 33, suffered a seizure on our wedding night – I lay on his chest as he died 3 days later
ON MAY 21, Michaela Dunphy lay on her husband Dean's chest listening to his heart beating, until it finally stopped at 4.35am. The couple had wed just three days earlier but Dean had been rushed to hospital after suffering a seizure. 13 13 13 Doctors told Michaela: 'If Dean makes the next couple of days, it'll be a miracle.' The 33-year-old had been diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer in August 2023, after experiencing stroke-like symptoms and muscle twitching. Dean underwent two brain surgeries to remove cancerous tissue, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but the tumour kept growing. Not knowing how much time they had left, the couple decided to marry on May 18 this year, applying for a Court Exemption Order to skip the usual three-month notification to the registrar. Michaela, 31, who lives in Dublin, believes Dean 'held on' just to marry her. She said navigating grief and becoming a single parent to their daughter Sloane, four, has been incredibly hard. Recalling the moments before Dean died, Michaela said: 'I just said [to Sloane]: 'Look, Daddy is going to go up to the angels very soon'. 'She said, 'does this mean I don't have a daddy anymore?' And I said, 'no, you do have a daddy, he's just not going to live with us anymore'. 'She had a cry, we had a cry, and she's been looking after me ever since. She's been so strong. 'Even now, people say to me, 'Michaela, he held on to make you his wife'.' Now, the mum is on a mission to raise awareness and launch a foundation in Dean's name to fund more research into brain cancer treatments. Dean had suffered with migraines and headaches since he was a child, but doctors said this was common. However, in June 2023 he started experiencing sudden muscle twitching while driving on a motorway. 'Thank God he managed to pull over, because he said he was basically experiencing the symptoms of a stroke,' Michaela said. 13 13 13 13 Doctors suspected Dean might have Bell's palsy, which causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face, but blood tests, scans and examinations confirmed this was not the case. Weeks later Michaela received a call from the hospital to say 'they had found something on his brain'. On July 24, doctors told Dean they suspected he had a brain tumour and would need to operate on him to "investigate further". Dean underwent open brain surgery on August 24 – Michaela's 30th birthday – and the seven-hour procedure went well, with surgeons able to remove the tissue for further testing. However, a week on doctors called to say 'it's not good news' and revealed Dean had stage 4 glioblastoma. What are the symptoms of glioblastoma and how soon do they show? Glioblastomas are the most common brain tumour in adults, while also being very aggressive and deadly. Brain Tumour Research says tumours increase pressure in the skull, causing headaches. Symptoms to look for are: Headaches Loss of appetite Nausea and vomiting Loss of balance Mood swings Problems speaking Problems with memory or concentration Seizures Impaired vision The symptoms can initially be quite non-specific, meaning they could be mistaken for lots of other conditions- even stress or a hangover. The brain controls so many different functions that symptoms can vary greatly depending on where in the brain the tumour is. Glioblastomas are very fast growing. Once found, experts can see them double within seven weeks. But, according to Dr Stephen Bagley, assistant professor of medicine at Penn Medicine, the first spark of glioblastoma in the brain remains something of a mystery to medical experts. One study concluded that a glioblastoma starts growing 330 days on average - almost a year - before a diagnosis. Another found that there are changes in immune function up to five years before a diagnosis, with markers in blood samples - but symptoms only occur three months prior. 'They basically said, 'It's a type of brain cancer', and as soon as we heard the word cancer, it was like white noise – I was in shock,' Michaela said. Two weeks later, Dean had a second surgery to remove cancerous tissue in his brain and started chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by a 'blocker treatment' to prevent the tumour from growing bigger. During this time, as Dean's speech started to slur and he lost his mobility, the couple became engaged and decided to marry as soon as they could. 'I wanted to marry him from the minute I met him,' Michaela said. 'I was like, 'Just get me that ring!'' 13 13 13 The couple originally planned to have their wedding at Opium in Dublin, but with Dean experiencing 'scary' seizures, they opted to marry at the home of Michaela's mother. Two days before the wedding, they received a phone call 'completely out of the blue', with doctors saying they would like to do more surgery – an operation that was originally deemed not possible. 'It felt like a blessing in disguise, and I said to the doctors: 'We're getting married on Sunday, so this is the best wedding gift ever'.' After signing the necessary legal forms at the local civic centre, Dean and Michaela had their 'amazing' wedding ceremony on May 18 with their friends and family in the back garden of Michaela's mother's home. 'We're so thankful that we got to do it, and we got to do it our way,' Michaela said. 'It was amazing; it couldn't have gone any better.' The night of the wedding, Dean started having more seizures and was taken to hospital where Michaela was told the extra surgery was no longer possible and her new husband may only have a matter of days left to live. Daughter Sloane was among the family and friends who came to say goodbye in hospital as plans were made for Dean to return home, where he wished to die. Michaela invited their priest to the hospital, and Dean was blessed and read the Last Rites before his death in the early hours of May 21. 'I was lying on Dean… and I was waiting to hear his heart stop,' she said. 'I just needed to be the one to hear his heart stop, that was my closure.' Dean's funeral was held on May 24. Michaela has begun sharing their story on TikTok, under the handle @ She said she had promised Dean before he died that she would help others, and she 'won't stop' until she too is 'on [her] deathbed'. 'I promised him, I said, 'I'm not going to stop, I'm going to continue on, it's going to help me',' Michaela said. 'I want to have a foundation in Dean's name… and for Sloane to look back and say: 'That's my dad'.' 13 13 13
