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Man recovers from Covid-19 in Florida, says ‘I do’ in hospital where he is admitted. Watch
63-year old Henry Bell and his long-time fiancee Antionette Brown, 48, said their vows in the parking lot of the medical centre.
Eight weeks after being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, Henry Bell and his long-time fiancee decided the time was right for a wedding.
So the day before his anticipated release from the inpatient rehab center at Orange Park Medical Center, Bell, 63, and Antionette Brown, 48, said their vows in the parking lot Thursday. Brown’s uncle performed the ceremony.
“His condition was deadly,” Brown told The Florida Times-Union. “We decided to do it now because we feel they (the hospital staff) are like family and wanted to share the life they gave us back.”
Bell was admitted to the hospital Sept. 13, and immediately put on a ventilator, the Florida Times-Union reported.
Brown and the couple’s seven grown children could only wait and hope for his condition to improve. He spent weeks in intensive care.
In addition, Brown underwent a tracheostomy, a medical procedure that creates an opening in the neck to place a tube into a person’s windpipe, allowing air to enter the lungs, the newspaper reported.
He entered the hospital’s rehab center Sunday and his recovery has included learning how to walk again.
“It was touch and go for a while,” hospital spokeswoman Carrie Turansky told the newspaper. “After this journey, he and his fiancee didn’t want to wait another minute to get married, and they are so appreciative of the staff … that they wanted to have their wedding here.”
The medical centre also took to Facebook to share a video of the ceremony. “Henry spent nearly two months at Orange Park Medical Center recovering from COVID-19. Many days in the ICU. After coming off of the ventilator his first and only wish was to marry his fiancé Antionette. Today the staff helped make that happen. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Bell!” they shared.
The video is absolutely heartening to watch:
People shared tons of comments on the video. “Love is such a powerful healing source, Congratulations,” wrote a Facebook user. “OMG! This is so sweet,” commented another. “Beautiful story,” shared a third.
