I met stephen in the Royal Archer pub in lower broughton Salford. I used to go in there with my dad for a drink and we got chatting, he was telling me how he was going to leave his girlfriend jane, but she had fallen pregnant with there 2nd child. Stephen and myself would talk loads we got along so very well, it was like we had found each other within ourselves, it was almost like finding the other half of you , in another person. Well it wasnt long before we fell madly in love with each other, it was meant to be it really was. Stephens 2 boys would come and stay with us most weekends Jack and charlie who was youngest son. One day out of the blue, Stephen said to me, "I have never really believed in marriage before, but i would marry you tomorrow" I said well why dont we get married then he was really happy and so was i too. We didnt have any money really but we went to our registry office in swinton and booked the 2nd of September 1995 as our day to become man n wife. We didnt want anything big and fancy really, just as well with money being tight so we went home to tell our family and friends, and my mum said you must have a party its a celebration. so with only 5 months to go things was coming together we had a room booked ,mum sorted buffet and we even got a photographer thanks to stephens best man dave percy, as he had paid for this as a wedding present to both of us. Then we got married at 9am, 2nd september 1995 at swinton registry office. It was the best day of our lives. We had loads of special times together most good, some bad times or hard times but we got through them all, with our love so strong ,and we still managed to stay best friends too. Stephen would often say "its a love beyond compare", and he was right, it was! Anyway in jan 2002 me and stephen both disscussed having a baby & we agreed we would try for a baby but it happened quicker than both of us had thought. It was confirmed in march that i was pregnant and my due date was 27th december 2002. We both wanted a girl but was happy just as long as our baby was healthy. Anyway when i went for my 3rd scan the nurse said did we want to know the sex, of course she said say hello to your little girl. Well my sister was with me and we both cried with joy and i couldnt wait to tell Stephen the good news, he too was over the moon and was already choosing names. We decided on the name Poppy (well stephen did ) but i did like it so i said well im choosing her middle name so her full name is x Poppy Loren Stevie Swindells x I had quite a bad time carrying poppy,i was ill quite a lot, i was in labour 23 hours & gave birth to our Princess Poppy on the 10th dec 2002. I loved being a mum to her and Stephen was so chuffed coz he finally got his little girl, "my Princess Poppy" he would call her.I went to stay with my mum for the first few weeks coz like all new mums i was a little nervous and Stephen would come to my mums to see us both every single day. But Stephen had started to go out with lads he knew and they was nothing but trouble really and this one night 27th Feb 2003, I was at our home with Poppy because Stephens mum was having her over night, as i had decided to return back to work 2 days a week, as i had used up all my maternity leave during pregnancy. So me and Stephen was about to leave to go to his mothers just round the corner when his phone rang and he said ,babes i just got to nip out, you feed Poppy first then we'll take her to my mums together, i wont be long about 10-15 mins. Stephen kissed me&Poppy told us he loved us and said right babes I wont be long. For some reason i watched him walk away from our estate till he got out of sight,i dont to this day know why i did that? Then the phone rang with a girl screaming something about my Stephen being stabbed well as you can imagine i was in total shock , I raced to the hospital where they tried talking me through Stephens injurys and said hes not breathing at the minute but we are going to do this and that I said look i know your trying to help but i need to see him now right away because if he wants to come back he will do it now. The nurse took me straight away to see him and that was it i knew he had gone and wasnt coming back, yet he looked so handsome his big brown eyes were wide open so i kissed him and thanked the lovely doctors and nurses for what they were doing then i said so i dont get in your way i will wait in relatives room. They was wonderful those doctors and nurses and didnt give up on him for over an hour. But they came and got me and rest of family had arrived by then too, they said we are going to ask you to come in whilst we give him one last shock to see if he would breath again, but as i expected it didnt work so they then noted the time of death 11.35pm. This was like a nightmare just total disbelief. That was it Stephen my hubby and best friend gone forever, Poppys daddy, Jack & Charlies dad too. Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts you'll stay x till we meet again my darling x forver yours Donna Marie your Wife & Bestfriend xx Watch over Poppy for me darling xx