A bride who revealed her mum’s terminal cancer diagnosis to her beau on the TV show First Dates will finally marry her match on Sunday, after two canceled wedding dates.
Cindy Thompson was matched up with Elan Cohen and shared the tragic story of her mother Angela’s incurable cancer diagnosis.
Angela died in June 2018, after succumbing to glioblastoma. It is a very serious type of brain tumor.
After bonding on TV, Cindy & Elan went from strength to strength and got engaged. But their first two wedding dates were canceled due to Covid.
They can’t wait for their wedding vows to be said in front of their family and friends.
Mike, Cindy’s proud dad will walk her down to the aisle. Cindy’s mum won’t be there.
And the bride-to-be is certain that, although her mum won’t be there in person, she’ll be watching over her on the big day.
Cindy, 31, said: “I am thrilled that Elan and I are getting married at last.
“We will miss Mum so much but it will feel like she’s at my side.”
She added she’s grateful her mum got to meet Elan, who she describes as “My love, my best friend.”
“She adored him and her last words to him were, ‘Please don’t let me down,” Cindy revealed.
“Elan held her hand and promised he wouldn’t – he’s been true to his word. He’s been my rock and I wouldn’t have got through everything without him.”
Elan and Cindy originally planned to marry on 17 May 2020 but when the UK went into lockdown and it became clear their wedding wouldn’t go ahead, they postponed it to 8 November 2020.
Sadly, the pair were forced to reschedule once more with their venue and the caterers.
They are hosting a bash with khaki and rose gold as a tribute to their first date.
After both arriving at the restaurant wearing the same-colored outfits, the #Teamkhaki lovebirds were named.
The couple is also planning to pay tributes to Angela at the ceremony. Angela’s funeral celebrant will officiate the ceremony.
“It means everything to me to have that link and Erica will pay a tribute to my mum at the beginning of the ceremony,” Cindy.
“She listened to my mum’s inner-most thoughts and has been there for us as a family ever since.
“She’s told me how honored she is to be with us at the most painful time of our lives and now sharing the happiest time of our life.
“We can’t wait to bring our two families together as we move forward with our lives.”
Cindy will also tuck a rose from her mum’s wedding corsage in 1989 into her bridal bouquet.
She’s raising money for the Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity, which has supported the family since Angela’s diagnosis, through her wedding favors.
And they’ll heed her mum’s wise advice throughout their marriage, always treating each other with empathy.
“The very last conversation I had with Mum about Elan, she said: ‘Be kind to each other,” said Cindy.
“That’s become our mantra and we’re having it as part of our wedding vows.”
The bride added they want their relationship to mirror her parents’ loving marriage.
“They were very close and had so much respect for each other. They laughed together and whatever life threw at them, they got through it with such resilience,” She agreed.
As well as touching nods to their family, the pair will also pay homage to First Dates maître d’, Fred Sirieix, greeting guests with a cardboard cut-out of the TV favorite.
Angela was unable to assist Cindy in the wedding planning process, but Andrea is her best friend.
“It was so hard seeing other women dress shopping with their mothers,” She agreed. “But Andrea is like a second mum to me and she’s been such a fantastic support.”
Cindy recalled their First Dates when they met in October 2017. She said that she fell in love with Elan the moment he entered her home.
“When I told him about my mum, he was so understanding and compassionate. Then he invited me to Manchester the following weekend and that was it.”
Cindy moved into Elan’s flat in January 2019. He had already proposed by May.
The pair moved into their “dream home” this January – a four-bedroom house.
Cindy is sharing her story through The Brain Tumour Charity, which is currently trialing cannabis-based drug Sativex in treating glioblastoma.
The Charity is fundraising £450,000 to fund a phase II trial to see if adding Sativex to chemotherapy could help those fighting glioblastoma – which currently has an average survival of fewer than 10 months.
Cindy said: “I’m backing The Brain Tumour Charity’s Sativex trial as the most painful thing to accept was that nothing could be done for my mum – there was no hope.
“From a fiercely independent, vibrant, intelligent woman, my mum became a shadow of her former self.
“It may be too late for her but I am passionate about research and this is the first glimmer of hope for decades to give extra time to live for people diagnosed with glioblastoma – I want to help spare other families our heartache, and know Mum did, too.”
They will be taking a short vacation to Greece after the wedding and plan to spend a longer honeymoon in Sri Lanka in January 2022.
Dr. David Jenkinson, The Brain Tumour Charity’s interim chief executive, said: “Cindy and Elan have our warmest wishes for their marriage and we are so grateful to them for sharing their story to help us raise awareness about our pioneering Sativex trial.
“The recent phase I findings were really promising and we now look forward to understanding whether adding Sativex to chemotherapy could help offer life-extension and improved quality of life, which would be a major step forward in our ability to treat this devastating disease.
“Anyone affected by a glioblastoma can speak to us for support and information on 0808 800 0004 or by emailing [email protected]. If you need someone to talk to, we’re here for you.”