BRAVE BOMB GIRL GOES FOR WALK DOWN THE WEDDING AISLE
Brave bomb girl goes for walk down wedding aisle
Omagh blast victim shows true love will conquer all
A VICTIM of the Omagh bombing walked unaided for the first time since the blast yesterday as she made her way down the aisle to marry the man who proposed at her bedside.
Sandy Smith, 23, badly hurt by shrapnel from the blast last August, married Mark Blackwell, 31, at Lancaster Free Methodist Church.
Dressed in an ivory gown and carrying a mixed bouquet, she arrived in a silver Bentley and was accompanied by her father, John, as she walked into the church followed by three bridesmaids.
The service, which they had called 'The first day of the rest of our lives', was taken by Mark's father, Pastor Ken Blackwell.
Paul Booth, 49, who had nursed Sandy in hospital, said: "It was a lovely service and I shed a few tears.
"It was lovely to see her walking."
His wife, Anne, 46, added: "The most emotional part was when she walked down the aisle. It was the first time she had walked unaided and she did really well. She looked lovely."
The couple had met once on holiday in Devon a year ago and had kept in touch by phone.
Mark took the first flight to Northern Ireland after hearing that Sandy had been injured in the blast that claimed 29 lives, including that of her best friend, Julia Hughes, 21, who was standing beside her when the Real IRA detonated the explosive.
It took farm worker Mark an hour to gather up the courage to propose to Sandy as she lay in Erne Hospital with horrific injuries including broken limbs, which left her left leg paralysed.
Before the wedding, Mark said: "I'd never been to Northern Ireland but I just had to get to Sandy.
"I grabbed one change of clothes and my friends lent me the money."
Sandy, an auxiliary nurse in an old people's home, said: "Mark has been my strength. He has encouraged me throughout to count my blessings.
"It shows that love can conquer all"
Omagh blast victim shows true love will conquer all
A VICTIM of the Omagh bombing walked unaided for the first time since the blast yesterday as she made her way down the aisle to marry the man who proposed at her bedside.
Sandy Smith, 23, badly hurt by shrapnel from the blast last August, married Mark Blackwell, 31, at Lancaster Free Methodist Church.
Dressed in an ivory gown and carrying a mixed bouquet, she arrived in a silver Bentley and was accompanied by her father, John, as she walked into the church followed by three bridesmaids.
The service, which they had called 'The first day of the rest of our lives', was taken by Mark's father, Pastor Ken Blackwell.
Paul Booth, 49, who had nursed Sandy in hospital, said: "It was a lovely service and I shed a few tears.
"It was lovely to see her walking."
His wife, Anne, 46, added: "The most emotional part was when she walked down the aisle. It was the first time she had walked unaided and she did really well. She looked lovely."
The couple had met once on holiday in Devon a year ago and had kept in touch by phone.
Mark took the first flight to Northern Ireland after hearing that Sandy had been injured in the blast that claimed 29 lives, including that of her best friend, Julia Hughes, 21, who was standing beside her when the Real IRA detonated the explosive.
It took farm worker Mark an hour to gather up the courage to propose to Sandy as she lay in Erne Hospital with horrific injuries including broken limbs, which left her left leg paralysed.
Before the wedding, Mark said: "I'd never been to Northern Ireland but I just had to get to Sandy.
"I grabbed one change of clothes and my friends lent me the money."
Sandy, an auxiliary nurse in an old people's home, said: "Mark has been my strength. He has encouraged me throughout to count my blessings.
"It shows that love can conquer all"
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/220
Published Date: 26-Jun-99
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