Aberdeenshire man ‘felt very sentimental’ as he tied the knot following cancer diagnosis

MECHANIC Derek Moir has two loves in his life – his tractor collection and his new wife Maggie.

They were planning to get married in October but when doctors told him he had cancer, they decided to tie the knot right away.

The couple – who arranged the ceremony in just two weeks after the 30-day posting of bans rule was waived in their favour – have just tied the knot at the registry office in Peterhead.

But instead of jetting off on honeymoon to Florida, they rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Derek, 56, is being treated for a second bout of infection linked to his illness.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Derek, who has throat cancer, said: “It was a great day. There were only eight of us there for the ceremony. I felt very sentimental during it.

“I never used to be like that but this illness changes your perspective. It makes you count your blessings.”

And Maggie, 54, a former global programme director, explained: “We wanted to have the wedding while Derek was well enough to enjoy it and could still eat.

“We still hope to get to Florida at some point. We have simply postponed the honeymoon.”

Derek was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer just before Christmas after experiencing difficulty swallowing. Doctors confirmed it had spread to his lymph nodes making surgery impossible.

He said: “Maggie was with me when they broke the news. It was a terrible blow and the last thing I was expecting. I thought that that was it for me. You’d need a crystal ball to know how this will turn out, there are no guarantees.

“My first reaction was to sell everything. I sold 15 tractors.

“But having Maggie – and the tractors – makes all the difference. Maggie is a real character, she gives me something to fight for, and the tractors give me something to focus on.

“If anyone can beat this, I will. I will give it a good go anyway. If you don’t have a positive attitude you’ll go down and I am a stubborn old sod. I plan to be around for a good while yet.”

The mechanic, whose love of tractors was born on the farm where he grew up, has already had four rounds of chemotherapy. He will be given a further two, followed by radiotherapy.

And he is still buying tractors. He chuckled: “My wife has just picked up a little Massey Ferguson 35 that I am going to sell and donate to the hospital’s Anchor Unit. The medical teams are brilliant. It’s my way of saying thank you.”

Maggie, who is constantly at her new husband’s side, said: “We’re taking everything one day at a time and try hard to keep our spirits up. We’ve always got on well, there’s a lot of laughter in our relationship. We are like ying and yang.

“We just want to be happy – despite the cancer. It is important that Derek knows that no matter what, he is loved and cherished.

“I did worry when he started selling his tractors, but he is back to his old self now and buying them again.”

And she joked: “I’m going to put a bed in the tractor shed so he can sleep with his true loves!”