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Anna Swabey was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in January 2015. Her condition was a Grade Three tumor called anaplastic astrocytoma. This disease requires more intensive treatment than other brain tumors and attacks the cells surrounding nerves, brain, and spinal cord.
Her doctors had believed the tumor would progress relatively slowly and predicted that Swabey had a few years left to live.
Later that year, Swabey met Andy Bell on Tinder. She told him, even before they’d met in person, that she only had a few years left to live because of her brain tumor. But it didn’t deter him.
The two met and dated through the year, quickly realizing that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together – although their time together would be short.
Bell realized what this meant, but he chose to weigh against this. He loved Swabey deeply, wanted to marry her, and “would do anything to swap places with her and take the pain and fear away for her.”
In December 2015, Bell proposed and the couple arranged to get married in 2016.
But as time passed, Swabey’s brain tumor began progressing at an increasingly rapid pace. The couple had to postpone their wedding, as Swabey’s condition declined and it became apparent that she wouldn’t have the energy to celebrate the occasion.
The couple arranged to wed on a later date – in September – and Swabey even marked the occasion by having a bachelorette party in July.
On the day before the ceremony, Swabey passed away quietly in her home, surrounded by friends, family, and her fiancé.
Her family announced the news on Swabey’s public Facebook page: “I cannot put into words the heartbreak we all feel, but amongst our sadness, we are so proud of her courage, her spirit and the determination she showed throughout her illness. If ever there was a person to show us how to live, it's Anna Louise Swabey, our beautiful, brave girl.”
The post received hundreds and thousands of replies, all filled with sympathy and love for the family in their time of grief.
To celebrate Swabey’s life, the family has already raised an incredible amount of money – and is continuing to raise even more – to donate to the Brain Tumor Research Campaign.
We send Swabey’s family, friends, and husband Andy Bell our sympathy and love as they go through this difficult time.
You can read the family’s original post here:
