A MAN who is battling cancer has been shortlisted in a contest to win a dream wedding with his childhood sweetheart.

Lee Harvey, 34, and Charlotte Moses, 31, from Woodthorpe, York, are into the final four of a charity competition, run by St Leonard's Hospice, where the couple who raise the most amount of money for the charity will win the chance to marry at the Marriot Hotel, York, next June.

The couple, who fell in love in their teens, decided to enter the competition after Lee was diagnosed with Myelodysplasia Syndrome (MDS) in January, a rare blood cancer in which the individual does not produce enough healthy blood cells.

Lee is currently completing a course of chemotherapy, before having a bone marrow transplant from a donor later this week. He will be receiving treatment for another 100 days and having regular check-ups for the next 18 months.

Charlotte said they entered the competition due to the uncertainty in what the future holds and that it has always been a dream to get married.

She said: “We have been together now 17 years and share two beautiful children, Amelia, five, and Finlay, one.

“We have always wanted to get married when our children were old enough to enjoy it with us but Lee’s diagnoses made us more eager to do it now. The condition affects elderly people usually so for Lee to be diagnosed was a real shock.

“It has had such a huge impact on daily life for us with him being in the hospital regularly.

“As the future is so uncertain for me and Lee, we thought this competition was a brilliant opportunity to get married, with our beautiful children there, whilst also doing something for an amazing charity like St Leonard's Hospice.”

The winners of the competition will win a dream wedding worth £15,000, including a wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, a flower display and catering.

The couple have so far raised more than £1,000 for the charity through activities across the city.

Charlotte added: “We have a lot of upcoming events over the summer including charity photo shoots, a seven-mile Midnight Walk on July 13, and a fun day at Acomb Cricket Club, scheduled next month.

“We would love to win the competition but we have had even more fun raising money for the charity.

“The competition started out with 10 participants so to make it to the final four is a great achievement already.

“But the competition runs until the end of September so there is plenty of time to help us raise more money.”

Sarah Ross, fundraising manager for St Leonard's Hospice, said: “We’re really grateful to York Marriott Hotel and the rest of the fantastic suppliers for donating all elements that make up the £15,000 dream wedding package. Now it’s down to the couples, including Lee and Charlotte, to fundraise for St Leonard’s Hospice, with the winning couple being announced in October. Every penny they raise goes towards supporting outstanding patient care at the hospice. Good luck to Lee and Charlotte and the other couples.”

To donate, or find out about Charlotte and Lee's fundraising events, visit https://bit.ly/2X3RYwy.