A Texas man hospitalised with the Covid-19 in the same week he was scheduled to wed the love of his life got a chance to say said “I do” thanks to a group of thoughtful hospital staff.
Carlos Muniz and Grace Leimann were supposed to marry in mid-July when their nuptial plans were put on hold after Muniz became ill with the virus.
After finding out about their engagement, CNN reported, Matt Holdridge, a nurse at the health facility, said the hospital decided to do something special for the couple.
“We try to be creative to bring some life back into people and help them continue to fight through what is one of the worst hospitalisations I have ever seen,” Matt said.
That creativity led to a wedding like no other on Tuesday, August 18 as staff hosted a ceremony for the couple in the hospital’s hallways.
“That was the most difficult part for me. I was just letting him go into the ER and not knowing when I would see him again,” Leimann said.
The groom-to-be was admitted to San Antonio’s Methodist Hospital on July 15 and was in the hospital’s Covid-19 unit for almost 10 days before his health deteriorated.
He was transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). There, he was placed on an ECMO machine as a last effort to save his life, according to the hospital staff.
Muniz, who was on the life-saving machine at the time of their wedding, was able to leave his room with the help of a team of hospital workers.
While it was not the wedding neither of them imagined, it was something they were truly grateful for. “It was a beautiful moment and all I could see was him as I was walking down the aisle,” said the bride.
The heartwarming wedding ceremony not only lifted the spirits of the newlyweds but also the hospital staff during a difficult time.
“It meant a lot to us because it was kind of a ray of sunshine and it has been a pretty dark period for us as a whole,” Matt said.
Leimann is thankful for the support and love the hospital staff had shown them, saying they will be praying for the frontline workers for the risk they were taking to take care of others.
Muniz still remains in the hospital and has a long road to recovery ahead of him but for now, the couple is holding on the to the memories they made on their special day.