So, the bride worn a hospital gown?

It was meant to be the happiest day of her life, so how did things go so wrong at Ellie's wedding?
Ellie and her parents.

As the make-up artist swept a brush across my cheek, I should've been excited. With my long, white gown hanging nearby, I was hours away from walking down the aisle to meet my soul mate, Devin, 29. I'd been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl and couldn't wait to say my vows. But now my happiness was being overtaken by nausea and a blinding headache. When I'd started to feel unwell two weeks earlier, I put it down to stress. Between planning the wedding and caring for our nine-month-old son, Jai, I was constantly rushing around. 'I think you've just been overdoing it,' my mum, Bev, said to me. We'd chosen not to have a bridal party and I didn't want to burden anyone else, so I was busy organising everything.

Brushing off my sickness, I soldiered on. But after a week, I was still suffering from a fever, stiff neck, nausea and migraines so I went to the GP.'You've got viral meningitis,' the doctor said, telling me I needed to rest. But after a few days, I felt worse than ever. I'd lost my appetite and my head felt as if it had been run over by a truck whenever I stood up. What was going on? Going to hospital, I was given the same diagnosis and told to take it easy. So I battled on, hoping I'd be better by the wedding day.

We'd chosen the beautiful Murramarang Resort in NSW for a ceremony on the beach followed by a reception in the restaurant. With 80 guests invited, we went down there the night before to set up but I was still feeling miserable. Whenever I moved, the pounding in my head was so painful I could barely open my eyes. Going to bed early, I hardly slept a wink as thoughts swirled in my mind. Would I even make it down the aisle?

Ellie and Devin

When I got up the next morning, I was thrilled the wedding day had arrived. But I felt nauseous and my head was pounding. By lunchtime, things were so bad I had to lie down as my make-up was finished. As I put on my dress, my best friend Mel came to see me. 'We'll get you down that aisle even if we have to put you on a stretcher,' she joked. I giggled, thankful she'd made me smile. It was true, I wouldn't miss my chance to marry Devin for the world. Soon after, Mum and my dad, Brian, were ready to walk me down the aisle.

When the music began and I saw Devin waiting, it was as if all the pain disappeared.I can do this, I thought. The ceremony was beautiful and afterwards we were whisked away for photos on the sand. Making it through dinner, I was starting to feel a little better as I ate my first proper meal in weeks. Then our photographer took us outside for a picture in the sunset. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. But as we made our way to the reception, I felt pins and needles in my right foot. Brushing it off, we headed back. But the second I walked inside, everything went black. Coming to, I realised I was lying on the floor and my brother, Dale, was crying next to me. 'You had a seizure,' he told me. I was dazed as I tried to make sense of it all. 'Don't cry,' I soothed. 'I'll be okay.' But the truth was, I had no idea what was happening.

Ambulance

I was forced to miss the rest of my wedding as I was raced to hospital with Devin and my parents while family friends cared for Jai. Doctors ran tests and gave me fluids, but couldn't find any reason for my seizure. So after four days in hospital, I was sent home to rest. But I showed no signs of improvement and after a few days, I'd lost so much weight that I was rushed back to hospital and put in isolation. I wanted nothing more than to be with my husband and son. What was wrong with me?

Sent home again with no answers, I began looking online. That was when I came across information about something called a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF) which is sometimes mistaken for viral meningitis. Though extremely rare, I couldn't help but wonder if it was the answer. So when I was rushed back to hospital again a few days later, I mentioned CSF. It was like a light bulb went on and my doctor sent me for a lumbar puncture. When the results came in, I was shocked. The amount of fluid around my spine and brain was so low it couldn't be measured. My brain was sagging against my skull causing those awful headaches. It also explained why lying down gave me relief. I was terrified but pleased to finally have an answer. Scans showed a cyst on my spine that doctors believed was causing the leak.

Six weeks later, during surgery, they discovered the cyst was connected to nerves, making it too risky to remove. So instead, they patched up the leak with silicon glue and tissue.Thankfully, when I was wheeled into recovery, doctors were confident the op had been a success. After six days lying completely flat, I was gradually allowed to sit up and then move around. Finally, four months after our wedding, I was allowed to go home.

While I'm disappointed I missed most of my wedding, I still consider myself incredibly lucky. I have a fantastic husband who proved he would really be there for me in sickness and in health. We've now welcomed another little boy, Zander, 18 months, and we are planning to renew our vows. Hopefully next time I'll make it through the big day unscathed!

Based on a true-life story.