A MUM-OF-TWO with terminal cancer married her Rhyl sweetheart in Valentine’s week – despite doctors predicting she would not live past Christmas. Gutsy Tija Tanner, 54, from Colwyn Bay, married Pavilion Theatre manager Gareth Owen, 58, in a private ceremony at Llandudno Registry Office last Saturday in spite of suffering with crippling pain from spinal cancer. Tija told the Visitor she was determined to make her big day despite doctors warning her in August that she may only have six weeks to live. Her only regret is that her illness has prevented them from taking a honeymoon abroad. Tija said: “I was told I had cancer 10 weeks after we had got engaged and set our date for the Valentine week and initially I thought we would cancel. But then we talked and I decided I could not let cancer rule my life and we carried on with the arrangement. “Gareth is a truly remarkable man, not many people would agree to carry on with a wedding to a fiancée that will be bed-ridden by the time they are married, he is a very good man and I love him very much.” Tija, originally from Croatia, and Gareth began dating last March after meeting in Theatr Colwyn, where she was working part-time. After a whirlwind romance Gareth proposed in June and they made plans for a Valentine wedding. But the couple were left devastated in August when Tija was rushed to hospital with back pain and doctors discovered she had spinal cancer. She said: “It was terrible when we got the news and doctors predicted I would live between six weeks and six months. I thought I would be dead by Christmas. “But I was determined to reach my wedding date and now I have, my only regret is that I cannot go away because of the illness.” Tija, who recovered from breast cancer eight years ago, decided to have a quiet wedding ceremony with Gareth, followed by a meal at the Castle Hotel in Conwy. She said: “Originally we had asked everyone but that changed once I knew about the cancer. “We did not tell anyone what we were doing and I think people thought the wedding was off. To be honest at Christmas I could only move with a hoist and I did not think I would be able to make the ceremony but thankfully things improved a little and I have been able to get around in a wheelchair. I called family straight after we got married and they were delighted for us.” Before the illness, Tija had been working three jobs, including a part- time position at Theatr Colwyn. Since falling ill Tija has set up an appeal to raise money for St David’s Hospice called Tija’s Enfys Fund. owen.hughes | 
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