Groom who uses wheelchair has year of physiotherapy to stand for his first dance
- 11 months ago
A wheelchair-using groom spent a year having physiotherapy to be able to stand for his first dance with his wife on their wedding day.
Barry MacDowell, 49, and his wife, Emma, 36 - who both have multiple sclerosis - met on an MS support platform and bonded over their similar sense of humour.
Once they became a couple, Emma moved herself and her son, Corbhan Doyle, 11, in with Barry in Kinmylies, Inverness, Scotland.
In 2021, dad-of-three Barry - who has been using a wheelchair since 2018 - proposed to Emma and the couple began planning their big day.
Barry was determined to stand and join his bride for their first dance - a medley of 'Thinking Out Loud' by Ed Sheeran and 'Shut Up And Dance' by Walk the Moon - on their wedding day on April 8, 2023, at Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, Scotland.
The pair decided to keep their stunt a surprise for their guests and just Barry, Emma and a team of neuro-physiotherapists were in on making it happen.
Not only were their guests amazed, but Emma was in shock - as Barry remained on his feet, supported by his physio team, for the entire song.
Emma, a former hairdresser, originally from Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: "Barry could walk when we first met in 2017, but since then he's only been in a wheelchair.
"Because of that, I would always have to be behind him pushing him, because at the start he couldn't self-propel.
"So that dance was a different type of closeness. Until then, I never even knew he was taller than me.
"Now it's done, it doesn't feel real - I want to do it again."
Barry, a former BMW technician, added: "My legs were sore for two and a half weeks after the wedding - but it was worth it of course."
Barry was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) in 2015 - after waiting over a decade for a diagnosis.
The delay meant he wasn't able to get the right treatment for a long time - meaning the condition became more severe, leading to him becoming reliant on a wheelchair.
Emma has the same condition - after being diagnosed following a bout of meningitis aged 29.
But due to a speedy diagnosis in 2016 she could be treated sooner so she is able still able to walk, although suffers numbness in her hands, bladder issues and memory problems.
Both single parents at the time, Barry and Emma got chatting online in 2017 through an MS support group on Facebook.
They met in person for the first time at their MS group's Christmas meet in Glasgow, Scotland, that December - and ended up spending the whole weekend together because they got on so well.
After that they began visiting each other every few weeks, travelling between Portsmouth and Inverness after becoming official - and Emma and Corbhan had moved in with Barry by September 2018.
Emma said: "We get on so well - we started off with funny jokes and our relationship grew from there.
"We're BOB - Built On Banter - we're taking the mickey out of each other all the time.
"The main things we have in common are a love of Oasis, and having MS.
Barry MacDowell, 49, and his wife, Emma, 36 - who both have multiple sclerosis - met on an MS support platform and bonded over their similar sense of humour.
Once they became a couple, Emma moved herself and her son, Corbhan Doyle, 11, in with Barry in Kinmylies, Inverness, Scotland.
In 2021, dad-of-three Barry - who has been using a wheelchair since 2018 - proposed to Emma and the couple began planning their big day.
Barry was determined to stand and join his bride for their first dance - a medley of 'Thinking Out Loud' by Ed Sheeran and 'Shut Up And Dance' by Walk the Moon - on their wedding day on April 8, 2023, at Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, Scotland.
The pair decided to keep their stunt a surprise for their guests and just Barry, Emma and a team of neuro-physiotherapists were in on making it happen.
Not only were their guests amazed, but Emma was in shock - as Barry remained on his feet, supported by his physio team, for the entire song.
Emma, a former hairdresser, originally from Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: "Barry could walk when we first met in 2017, but since then he's only been in a wheelchair.
"Because of that, I would always have to be behind him pushing him, because at the start he couldn't self-propel.
"So that dance was a different type of closeness. Until then, I never even knew he was taller than me.
"Now it's done, it doesn't feel real - I want to do it again."
Barry, a former BMW technician, added: "My legs were sore for two and a half weeks after the wedding - but it was worth it of course."
Barry was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) in 2015 - after waiting over a decade for a diagnosis.
The delay meant he wasn't able to get the right treatment for a long time - meaning the condition became more severe, leading to him becoming reliant on a wheelchair.
Emma has the same condition - after being diagnosed following a bout of meningitis aged 29.
But due to a speedy diagnosis in 2016 she could be treated sooner so she is able still able to walk, although suffers numbness in her hands, bladder issues and memory problems.
Both single parents at the time, Barry and Emma got chatting online in 2017 through an MS support group on Facebook.
They met in person for the first time at their MS group's Christmas meet in Glasgow, Scotland, that December - and ended up spending the whole weekend together because they got on so well.
After that they began visiting each other every few weeks, travelling between Portsmouth and Inverness after becoming official - and Emma and Corbhan had moved in with Barry by September 2018.
Emma said: "We get on so well - we started off with funny jokes and our relationship grew from there.
"We're BOB - Built On Banter - we're taking the mickey out of each other all the time.
"The main things we have in common are a love of Oasis, and having MS.