Last week, 44-year-old Liverpool, U.K., resident Joan Lyons did something on her wedding day that may sound terrifying to the average bride: She shaved her head — while all her guests looked on. And the reason will break your heart.
Joan and her husband Craig Lyons met some 30 years ago, at the age of 14. They loved each other from the beginning, but they didn't get together until three years ago. Craig proposed to Joan last year. She said yes.
But not long after their engagement, the couple received devastating news: Craig had stage-four pancreatic cancer. It was terminal, and doctors gave him just nine to 12 months to live. "We decided to do all the things we wanted to do but never did," Joan told CBS News.
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On April 15, 2016, with the help of a U.K. charity called Gift of a Wedding, Joan and Craig tied the knot, surrounded by family and friends. After the ceremony — when the cake had been cut, and the first dance was over — the bride retreated into a private area, where she washed her hair, and then returned to the reception. With an electric razor.
As guests watched, Joan proceeded to shave her head in a show of solidarity with her husband, and in support of a charity called Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with terminal illnesses. Joan also asked her guests to consider making a donation to the organization. Afterward, the bride and groom shared a kiss that no one in the room will soon forget.
It was all captured by photographer Kimberley Struth, who shared the couple's story and the images above in a Facebook post that has since gone viral. It's a heartwarming — and heart-wrenching — story, and we have a feeling these newlyweds will be making the most of whatever time they have together. We hope it's a lot.