A brother and sister arranged a wedding for their ‘beautiful and devoted' mum in a hospice - in under 24 hours.

Siblings Elliot Lister, 30, and Chloe Lopez Martini, 32, wanted to fulfil their mother Debbie Lister's final wish to marry her long-term partner Jason.

Debbie had moved into a hospice - after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The pair initially thought they had several weeks to plan the wedding but when her health suddenly deteriorated, they were left with just 24 hours to arrange the celebration.

They sent out wedding invites at 11pm the night before and transformed the

hospice communal into a church-like wedding venue with flowers and seating.

The family and team at the East Sussex Hospice in the Weald, Five Ashes, rallied together to make sure everything was as perfect as it could be.

Debbie was then able to marry her partner of 18 years, Jason Woodgate, in an 'intimate' setting - just a day before she sadly passed away just aged 57.

Elliot, who works as a firefighter, said: "We had less than 24 hours to plan the wedding and thanks to the hospice we did. "

"They pulled it all off, everything. "

"Invites were sent out at 11 o'clock at night and people turned up the next morning suited and booted and ready to go. "

"We can't thank Hospice in the Weald enough for all they've done for my mum." "

The siblings, from Tonbridge, Kent, explained that their mum had already picked out the dress she wanted to wear for her wedding day - but had no idea who would attend at such short notice or what her special day would look like.

Chloe, who works as an insurance actuary, said: "We had input from her on what she wanted but suddenly we just had to make it happen in a 24-hour timescale. "

"Mum had already picked out the dress she wanted to wear, and she looked beautiful. "

"Even though she was a day away from passing she still looked stunning. "

"The ceremony felt very intimate and emotional. "

"It was a sad but lovely occasion and something my mum really wanted, she loved Jason so much. "

"It was the last thing my mum could have done and the last bit of love she could give." "

It was Elliot and his grandad, Peter, who walked Debbie down the ‘aisle' in her armchair and Chloe's dog Bosco, also known as Baby B, played the role of ring bearer.

Chloe said: "Mum was very happy that Bosco could be part of the ceremony and got to see her special day. "

"When my mum came ‘down the aisle' it suddenly just felt really silent, even though there was music playing it felt like everything was so still and focused on my mum."

"Jason had been suit shopping but he couldn't get his suit in time so he had to wear one of his old suits - but that was fine because really it was about them saying ‘I do' and being able to have their vows."

Debbie, who worked in the care sector, was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in September 2020.

Three years later in May 2023 she began feeling tired and breathless and started suffering from migraines.

Debbie underwent more tests and doctors discovered secondary cancer in her liver, among other places, and in July she was given the devastating diagnosis of terminal metastatic breast cancer.

Chloe said it was desperately 'unfair' that the family thought their mum had years and then she had 'less than six months'.

She explained: "It felt unfair that she didn't get a chance to be in remission and was then told it was terminal. "

"You don't have time to process it. "

"It's like living in a nightmare, you just think ‘this can't be true'. "

"For me I needed time to understand what it all meant, and I was trying to research anything I could do to help my mum, any alternative medicines or findings from trials. "

"I was grasping at straws because I was struggling to get to the point of understanding what life would be like without my mum."



In November 2023 Debbie was told her cancer had sadly spread to her bones and she was in the palliative stage of care.

On 8 January 2024, Elliot, Chloe, and their aunt, Debbie's sister Mandy, attended an oncology appointment and the siblings were told the heartbreaking news that their mum had just weeks to live.

Elliot said: "My jaw just dropped, I couldn't believe it. "

"I was in disbelief and thinking how has this happened? "

"It was only a few months ago that I found out she had terminal cancer and now it's weeks. "

"Then those weeks turned into days." "

Soon after the appointment, they went to Hospice in the Weald to discuss end-of-life care for Debbie.

Nine days later, the day after her wedding, Debbie died peacefully at the hospice aged just 57.

Elliot said: "The hospice was able to provide for my mum and make sure she could have love, family and friends around her in a beautiful setting and go peacefully, which probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the hospice. "

"We are forever grateful for that." "

Chloe and Elliot were very close with their mum - and loved her more than anything.

Chloe said: "Our mum loved being a mum, she said it was her favourite thing in the world. "

"Mine and Elliot's relationship with our mum was everything." "

Elliot added: "Our mum was an energetic, caring, kind woman who loved everyone and everything. "

"She filled the room with love and put a smile on everyone's face. You know when you meet someone, and they lift you up? "

"That was my mum. "

"She was a wonderful, special person and she was a totally devoted mother." "

They added how grateful they both are for the care they received from Hospice in the Weald, Five Ashes.

Elliot said that before his mum became ill, he had never been to a hospice and had ‘no idea' what they were like.



He explained: "I had a depiction in my head of a hospice being a nice place but quite hospital like, but it was not like that at all. The Five Ashes site is in a beautiful setting with rolling country hills. "

"Mum had an amazing room that was catered for her, and we could all stay. "

"We were all taken care of. It was like a luxury hotel feel. "

"The team at the hospice made sure mum was comfortable and received pain relief and treated her with the utmost respect. "

"They were always there when we needed them."



Chloe added: "After the wedding ceremony, mum had about 30 people who loved her most in the world, come up and say goodbye. "

"It's peaceful and comforting to know that she was so loved and had a queue of people tell her how much they loved her and how happy they were that she managed to marry Jason." "

For more information, visit: hospiceintheweald.org.uk