A hero ambulance worker who has spent more than 20 years saving lives will marry his sweetheart next week after being given a stomach pain turned into a devastating cancer ordeal.
Dorian Williams admitted himself to A&E after finishing a night shift when he developed an 'unbearable pain', Wales Online reports.
The 44-year-old dad-of-three was given the heartbreaking news three weeks later that he had incurable cancer.
Pals and colleagues have rallied round Dorian and raised more than £18,000 to marry his partner of nine years Louise.
He has now started chemotherapy.
The Swansea man said: "Truthfully, I still don’t think I’ve come to terms with it.
“I was just shell-shocked when they told me it was cancer and that it was terminal.
“It’s been all systems go and we haven’t had a moment to process it yet, but our friends have been fantastic in helping to plan the wedding of a lifetime.
Dorian began to experience symptoms in September.
He said: “I’d been feeling lethargic for a while, but I just put it down to working 12-hour shifts and putting on some weight through the pandemic.
“I also had indigestion, which the doctor prescribed me Gaviscon for and it went away in the end, so it wasn’t a problem.
“The indigestion returned in February of this year and lasted about a week, then over Easter weekend I developed a pain in my right shoulder which became unbearable.
“I was actually on a night shift at the time, so took myself off to A&E where the doctors thought it might have been a trapped nerve and gave me pain relief.
“I also changed my eating habits to try and ease the indigestion, and over the course of a couple of weeks was able to lose some weight.”
But by mid-April, both the pain and indigestion had returned.
Dorian said: “Louise and I were actually away for the week in Carmarthen Bay but came back early so I could get myself to A&E again.
“They did an emergency ultrasound, as well as a biopsy and endoscopy to see if they could get to the bottom of what was happening.
“A week later, they called me back and told me I had stage four cancer of the stomach and liver.
“Chemotherapy will prolong my life but not save it, and unfortunately we’re talking months, not years.
To be honest, none of my symptoms seemed out of place.
“I put my tiredness down to working 12-hour shifts and my indigestion down to eating on the move, such is the nature of the role.
“I didn’t even have any pain until the later stages, by which point the cancer had spread.
“My advice to anyone with the same symptoms as I had, or to anyone experiencing unexplained changes to their body, is to visit their GP and get it checked out.”
Dorian, a training officer for St John Cymru Wales in West Glamorgan for more than a decade, said: “Supporting people to manage their wellbeing is something I’ve always enjoyed.
“In 2018, I became a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) Practitioner to help my colleagues in the ambulance service to manage traumatic events and was about to progress to TRiM Manager.
“I was also announced as GMB Union’s National Wellbeing Lead for the Welsh Ambulance Service at the start of this year.
“It’s something I’ve always been passionate about, but you just don’t expect to be on the receiving end of it for something like this.
“It’s surreal and emotional, but my family are keeping me focused, especially my brother Ken who also works in the service.”
Dorian’s marriage to Louise, 39, will take place at Oldwalls Gower, where their daughter Natalia, nine, and Dorian’s stepchildren Nathan, 19, and Naomi, 18, a soon-to-be mum, will help the couple to tie the knot.
“We’re truly humbled and amazed by everyone who has rallied together to make this special day happen,” said Dorian.
“It’s been overwhelming, and Louise and I can’t thank people enough.”
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