Published 20:06 IST, August 19th 2020
Texas: COVID-19 patient on life support marries longtime girlfriend in hospital
“COVID-19 can't stop love,” hospital wrote in a post on Facebook sharing a clip of wedding of resident of San Antonio, Texas, Carlos Muniz, a COVID-19 patient.
A critically ill COVID-19 patient married his fiancée in the hospital after his wedding got postponed due to his contraction of the respiratory disease that landed him in the Intensive Care Unit. While undergoing treatment and putting a tough fight against the malignant virus, the San Antonio, Texas man named Carlos Muniz decided that his life will not be impacted for worse. In a heart-melting video shared by the Methodist Hospital, Muniz, married his long-time girlfriend while on oxygen support. In nearly 3 minutes clip, the couple can be seen happily marrying in the presence of the hospital staff that made all the arrangements.
“COVID-19 can't stop love,” the hospital wrote in a post on Facebook. “ Carlos Muniz and his fiancé, Grace had everything arranged to wed and were ready to say ‘I Do’ when he suddenly came down with COVID-19,” it added. “His condition became critical, and he was placed on ECMO, a form of life support, as a last chance at survival. Carlos’s fight for life had diminished over the weeks and his emotions drained from his body,” the post continued.
The hospital revealed that the wedding motivated Muniz to overcome the virus and brought “joy and strength“ for the families involved. In the clip, fiancée Grace Leimann can be seen clad in a lavish wedding gown with flowers walking across the hospital to her husband-to-be. The man admitted to his bed and on a life-saving support machine was seen dressed in a tuxedo as he smiled. The doctors placed Muniz on the ECMO machine for his organs to function. Despite his worsening health, the man gathered the courage to wed his girlfriend.
Nurse Holdridge the 'best man'
Nurse Matt Holdrige learned that Muniz cancelled wedding ceremony in July after seriously falling ill. Therefore, idea of organizing it in the hospital struck her. He was quoted saying that the patient’s emotional need often assists in physical recovery. Holdridge bought a matching tuxedo t-shirt for the groom Muniz and became his best man. Dressed in her white bridal gown, Muniz girlfriend took vows near his hospital bed. With his face mask on, Muniz put a ring in his wife’s finger. The family and the loved ones attended the wedding virtually via live streaming.
Updated 20:06 IST, August 19th 2020