Young Couple Begins Planning Dream Wedding — Then She’s Diagnosed with Brain Cancer, Changing Everything (Exclusive)

• Trevor Dering, a musician who goes by the stage name Fiji Blue, met his now-wife Natasha in high school

• In the midst of wedding planning, Natasha had a seizure during a trip to Mexico. Upon returning home, she underwent numerous tests, and eventually, doctors discovered a mass in her brain

• On June 15, despite Natasha's diagnosis, the couple followed through with their plans and tied the knot

• Now, months later, Trevor and Natasha are opening up about her diagnosis, along with their journey and the choice to share it on social media

Earlier this year, everything seemed to be going perfectly for Trevor Dering and his fiancée, Natasha.

Trevor, a musician who goes by the stage name Fiji Blue, was in the midst of planning his upcoming tour and the release of his debut album on Dec. 13, while Natasha was living her dream of becoming a physician assistant. The L.A.-based couple, who had first met in high school, was eagerly counting down the months until their wedding in June.

But just when everything appeared to be falling into place, Natasha, 29 had a seizure during a trip to Mexico in February. Upon returning home, she underwent numerous tests, and eventually, doctors discovered a mass in her brain.

“At first, they thought it was a tumor associated with MS, a type of multiple sclerosis,” Trevor, 28, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “But as time passed, it became clear that it wasn’t that.”

"As the words 'tumor' and 'cancer' started coming up more often, it was terrifying," he adds, describing how, in March, Natasha was diagnosed with brain cancer. "It was a really dark time. I tried to keep moving forward by supporting her through all the biopsies, surgeries and everything else. But it was scary — especially because, for about seven months, we didn’t know the grade or specifics of the cancer."

Related: Mom of 4 Is Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before Son's Wedding. On His Big Day, She's on the Dance Floor with a Smile (Exclusive)

Now, months later, Trevor and Natasha are opening up about her diagnosis, along with their choice to get married during her cancer journey, on social media. Many of their videos have since gone viral, amassing millions of views.

"She's the center of my world," Trevor says. "It was hard to kind of just smile and pretend everything was okay, but obviously sharing the news was heartbreaking in one way, but also really relieving in another way."

He adds, "But I'm realizing now my purpose has been telling our story through songs and music."

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During their first hospital visit, which lasted five days, Trevor watched Natasha undergo a series of tests, witnessing her endure immense physical and emotional pain. The timing was especially poignant — it was exactly 100 days before their wedding.

In an effort to bring some joy to the moment, Trevor decided to bring a speaker from home and turn on some music to practice their first dance. His mother was there, recording the moment. In October, Trevor posted the video on TikTok, where it garnered more than 760,000 views.

“We’d been practicing at home before, and I just wanted to bring some joy to her in the hospital,” Trevor says. "So we set up the speaker, put on the Bee Gees — our first dance song — and just started practicing. It was a great distraction, something to take our minds off everything that was going on. It felt really special."

“She was definitely tearing up, and I’m glad she recorded it,” Trevor adds of his mom. “But at the same time, it was just special to have that moment — a brief distraction from everything, even if only for a second.”

On June 15, despite Natasha's diagnosis, the couple followed through with their plans and tied the knot in front of 50 of their closest family and friends at a barn in Maine — a venue they had long dreamed of. The celebration was filled with lobster rolls and other Maine-inspired delicacies.

During the wedding, Trevor — who finds much of his musical inspiration from Natasha — also performed a song for her called "Beautiful" from his debut album. The couple used this song for their wedding video, which Trevor posted to TikTok, where nearly 600,000 people have seen it.

"Fight like hell beautiful girl! This man is fighting with you! Prayers for health and healing," one user commented on the video.

"Aww man. You crushed my heart. Your wife has so much life in her eyes. She’s going to make it. Just keep being that light for her. Blessings," another person wrote.

Someone else said, "Beautiful song for such a beautiful person."

Although Trevor had written many of the songs on the album before Natasha’s diagnosis, he says his perspective on the music has shifted since Natasha's diagnosis.

"I’m hearing it differently now — some parts in great ways, some in more bittersweet ways — but I’m trying my best to stay positive," he explains.

“Obviously, it was an emotional day,” Trevor says of their wedding day. “She’s walking down the aisle, and it’s, as you can imagine, the best day ever. But at the same time, in the back of your head, there’s this sadness about not knowing what the future holds.”

In September, after inconclusive results of Natasha's brain biopsy, she underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor; according to Trevor, doctors were able to remove 80% to 90% of the mass. After the surgery, doctors diagnosed her with a grade 2 astrocytoma, also known as a diffuse astrocytoma or low-grade glioma.

According to the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, this is a slow-growing brain tumor that can become more aggressive over time.

“As you can imagine, having a chunk of your brain removed is a difficult thing to recover from,” Trevor says. “But she’s the most resilient and strongest person I’ve ever met — obviously, I’m biased — but she’s doing great.”

Since her surgery, Trevor has continued to support Natasha through her recovery, postponing his upcoming North American tour to be by her side. Looking ahead, Trevor explains that doctors plan to treat Natasha with targeted therapy rather than chemotherapy and radiation.

“It’s been a journey, but I’m happy to see her slowly becoming more like herself,” he adds. “The prognosis came back better than we expected, and we’re so relieved, especially since, before the biopsy, doctors were considering much more serious diagnoses. But we’re taking things one step at a time.”

"I didn't think I could be more in love with this person that is my best friend and everything," he adds. "My hope is that she just gets to live the longest life she can, and I get to be there every inch of the way. We both don't want to waste any time being somewhere or doing anything. To me, it's so clear that everything else could fail, but as long as I have her, I'll be okay."

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