One man in Ardagh, Ireland, thought he would be spending the rest of his life with his new wife, but his college sweetheart and long-time partner tragically died just two days after their wedding.
Noel Byrne wrote an emotional letter to his wife Kathy Casey, 29, who lost her battle to cancer on Jan. 16, in the mere span of three weeks. The two planned on tying the knot in August but decided to push back their date when Casey was diagnosed. They wanted to “fulfill” their wish of getting married.
In the open letter posted on Facebook, which has been shared more than 2,500 times, Byrne pays tribute to his late wife and all the “little things” that made him love her so much.
“We always said we were a team, but now I’ve lost my captain,” he wrote.
“I’m writing this in your bedroom in Ardagh, surrounded by everything that encapsulates your life over the past 29 years. A room the essence of you.We’ve been through so much since we first met in Mary [Immaculate College] on the very first day of college in 2006. We’ve been to so many places, done so many things, and achieved so much, it’s hard to know where to begin.”He went on to write that he would miss her “4 minute limit on boiling an egg,” and her obsession with “silky labels.”He says he hasn’t come to grips with the loss of Casey, whom he met at Limerick’s Mary Immaculate College more than 10 years ago.“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that you’re gone. I so badly want this to be a dream, but, in reality, it’s a real-life nightmare,” he wrote.
However, Byrne says that he didn’t write the letter to sulk on the cruelties of the world, but instead to show the world how great Casey was.
“You hold my hopes, my dreams, my love. You’re one of a kind and I’m lucky to call you my wife,” he said.
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Byrne reminisced about their travels together and the adventures that brought them through India, China and even North Korea. But besides looking at their past together, he also wrote about the future he thought he would have with Casey.
“The plans we had for the future – a house in a Naas, three kids – Keegan, Kelly and Casey – the names we knew people would question.”
Byrne said that as he comes to terms with his loss, he will try to use some of Casey’s strength.
“You told me that when you were gone, I’d need to take on your strength, and it’s something that I hope I can do, if even a fraction. Your approach to tackling the past three weeks is testament to your character – your strength, bravery, determination, and positivity.
“You’re an inspiration, KC.”
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