DAVID Rowson and Mandy Palmer had been together for five years when their wedding planning was interrupted by an unexpected surprise.
The couple, from Fraser Road, Carlton, found out that Mandy was pregnant so they decided to postpone the big day.
However, when their son Connah – who is now three – was born, he had a rare heart condition and needed a heart bypass at just 11-weeks-old.
Mandy, 30, said: "It was the worst feeling I could ever imagine. I pretty much just collapsed on the floor when he had his first operation.
"He's still got problems; he caught septicaemia. It leaves his arteries around his heart blocked."
She added: "It's so much for a couple to go through. We're very much stronger for it."
David, 47, who used to be in the Army and worked on an oil rig before settling as a builder, has also had a difficult time over the years.
"He's had three strokes and it's affected life quite a lot. He's not able to go out and work," Mandy said.
"A lot of long-term memory is forgotten. He doesn't always have the energy to run around with the kids, but we try our best."
Due to the illness in the family, Mandy can't work either.
She said: "I'm not working, I'm a carer for John and Connah. I used to work at a nursing home and did some training at the city hospital."
Mandy's belief that David was the right man for her was reinforced by his attitude to her two daughters from a previous relationship – Martine, 12 and Ehmma, 7.
She said: "They both call him Dad. They get on really well and he's taken them on as his own. It's lovely. He's there to praise them or wipe away the tears. It's one of the most important things for me."
The couple met for the first time five years ago.
Mandy said: "We met over the internet and started talking for a few months before we went on a date together.
"He took me to the cinema and then Goose Fair – it was freezing. We got on really well; we had a lot in common and we just clicked."
She added: "We love everything about each other. We do everything together and we're very open with each other."
The couple say that winning the competition would give them a chance to be a proper family.
Mandy said: "It'd be nice for all of us to be a proper family.
"We've tried once before, but then Connah came along with his complications. We would still get married but it will help us to have a special day that would be a dream.
"It's something completely out there that we wouldn't be able to afford."
There are still two days to enter the competition. To get involved, visit www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/winawedding
Entries close at 8am on Monday.
