Only hours after marrying, Stephanie Tyler found herself a widow. But she says she is comforted knowing her husband Ashley enjoyed the best moments of his life before succumbing to the aggressive cancer he had been fighting for three years. She told Katie Cooksey how she is coping with her loss with the support of Ashley's family.

AFTER being diagnosed with bone cancer when he was just a teenager, Ashley Tyler longed for a normal life.

Part of that dream meant setting up home with his sweetheart Stephanie – a dream that came true thanks to financial help from a charity fund.

Now Ashley's relatives are to set up a charity in his name to help other sufferers of the disease.

Before he succumbed to the aggressive Ewing Sarcoma at the age of 20, Ashley was already planning fund-raising events.

He was inspired to do something for others in his situation after meeting Carol Howard, who set up a charity after her 21-year-old son Ben died of stomach cancer last year.

The Ben Howard Memorial Fund donated £1,000 to help Ashley and wife Stephanie set up home together.

Now Stephanie and Ashley's mum, Rachel Roberts, plan to work with Carol to establish their own fund.

Stephanie said: "Ashley loved the experience of having his own home.

"It was like his little castle and he was always inviting people round for a cup of tea.

"What he wanted more than anything was to have a normal life, doing everyday things, and he got to experience that."

Rachel said: "Ashley's name will be in the title of the charity so he will always be remembered.

"Ashley had an idea of doing a sponsored head shave so that will probably be our first event, and we are also planning to join up with Carol's charity on some fund-raising ideas.

"I like to think of Ben and Ashley together up there looking down on us and willing us on."

But first, the family have to grieve for "brave, caring and inspirational" Ashley.

Ashley, a former Birches Head High School pupil, was only 17 when he started having leg pains, which were initially dismissed as growing pains, in 2005.

But after he was taken to hospital when he collapsed in agony, the cancer was diagnosed.

Rachel said: "Ashley was fit and healthy, going to the gym five days a week and never ill.

"I was called in to see the specialist, my heart was pounding and when he broke the news I felt sick. I didn't want to cry and Ashley was trying not to cry too, he was so brave. But I said I was going for a coffee, went outside and broke my heart. No-one could believe it because he looked so well. When we heard it had spread to his lungs I was hysterical. My mum had to hold me down I was shaking so much. I knew then that he wasn't going to survive long-term, but I stayed strong with him as he had treatment."

After a year of gruelling chemotherapy and a major operation on his leg, Ashley started looking to the future again when he was told he was in remission in December 2006.

He picked up his teenage romance with Stephanie, who he met while they both worked at Staybrite Windows.

He proposed at her 21st birthday party in October last year, and the couple decided they wanted a baby.

Stephanie said: "Ashley was so happy after finishing treatment, he just wanted to forget it and get on with his life. We spent all our time together. We would be on the phone even if one of us was gone for five minutes.

"Everyone said we were like a Mills and Boon novel.

"I knew we would never split up and we decided to have a baby, so we started the process for getting IVF."

But when the couple got back from a short break in Spain in November last year, Ashley had problems breathing and tests found the cancer was back.

Rachel said: "That Christmas was horrific. Ashley was on oxygen in an isolation room. We had to put protective clothing on to go in, and he was opening presents while pulling out his hair because of the treatment.

"The second diagnosis is worse than the first because that's when they tell you it will never be cured."

When Ashley's treatment ended, he moved in to a home in Smallthorne with Stephanie, and the couple lived in domestic bliss until Ashley discovered a lump on his arm on holiday in Turkey in August. Back home, Ashley started a third course of chemotherapy after doctors found the cancer had appeared once more on his leg and lungs, and had spread to his arm and ribs.

He responded well to the treatment, but the following month collapsed with a seizure and doctors broke the news the cancer had spread to Ashley's brain.

Stephanie said: "I was devastated, it was our worst fear come true, but the doctors still said there were things they could do so we had hope, and Ashley was such a fighter. They started radiotherapy on his head and the symptoms were going. He said he felt fine."

But last Friday Ashley became breathless and was taken into hospital with a chest infection, which his weakened immune system could not fight. He was taken into intensive care and doctors told the family he would not survive the infection.

That was when Stephanie decided to bring forward her planned wedding and hold it in the hospital, aided by nurses Rebecca Hemmings and Lesley Smith. Stephanie said: "When they said they didn't think he had long I felt numb. I kept thinking, he's always gone into hospital and come out ok. I didn't want him to know he was dying so he didn't give up, so I told him I wanted to marry him now and we could have a big party when he got out.

"Everyone threw themselves into organising the wedding and it was a really special day. Ashley was really happy. Afterwards I lay with him on the bed, just kissed him and talked to him about all the good times we had. He was sedated eventually and they took his oxygen mask off, then his breathing got slower and it was like he just went to sleep. His last words were 'Stephanie I love you'."

Rachel said: "I am so glad Stephanie was around for Ashley. She gave him the will to carry on longer.

"If it wasn't for her he would have given up.

"Now I am going to be there to support Stephanie and the baby."