Warwickshire dad desperate to mark baby's birthday before cancer death

A man who received a terminal cancer diagnosis days after the birth of his first child has died.

Owen Murray, from Long Itchington, Warwickshire, was told of his stage-four bowel cancer in December 2020.

His wife Laura said he had "fought" to celebrate the first birthday of their daughter Luna while receiving care at a hospice.

"I knew he was strong," she said, "but [in the hospice] he was just incredible.

"After he'd been in there a few days, and he perked up, he said 'I'm not missing a party' meaning Luna's birthday."

Their daughter "adored her daddy," said Mrs Murray, 37.

"Even the end when he couldn't wake up she was climbing over the bed, kissing his head, hugging him and now she just shouts 'daddy' at home and looks at all the pictures, which is hard."

The couple had met in October 2019, and married in May 2021 when Covid-19 restrictions around gatherings were eased.

More than £29,000 had been raised in an online fundraiser to help Mr Murray pay for alternative treatments after being told by medics they were "out of options" to treat his illness.

Mrs Murray said her husband passed away on 27 December after spending three weeks at Myton Hospice.

On his admission, she was told by staff that her husband may only live for one or two days, but said three weeks later he was "still going strong".

"He told me 'I will stay here for as long as physically possible for you and Luna,'" she told BBC CWR.

Mr Murray had also been able to celebrate his 40th birthday in November.

"He pulled himself out of bed and we went and had a lovely lunch," she explained.

"He was always so grateful for these little things, it was really precious. We did more in two years than many people do in a lifetime."

Mrs Murray said her husband had wanted to dictate messages to everyone who had donated, to thank them, but the couple ran out of time.

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