Couple ties the knot in ICU after groom hospitalized for COVID, Nebraska hospital says

Dawson White
·2 min read

A Nebraska intensive care unit served as a wedding chapel last month for a man battling COVID-19 and his longtime partner.

Julio Chamul, 68, first met Martha Vela Cuevas in 1971, The Grand Island Independent reported.

They’ve been together 44 years.

Earlier this year, Chamul was hospitalized for COVID-19 and spent weeks being treated at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island, the hospital wrote in a Facebook post.

Chamul isn’t categorized as a COVID-19 patient any longer, but he’s still fighting off an infection, according to the Independent.

During Chamul’s bout with the virus, the pair realized they wanted to start a new journey together: marriage.

“With him being sick, they realized that they love each other and want to spend the rest of their days together as husband and wife,” the hospital wrote.

The pair also cited a grim reality: Were Chamul to be put on a ventilator, it would be simpler if he and Cuevas were married, the Independent reported.

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Staff members sprang to action — nurses made the appropriate arrangements and helped Chamul get dressed. The hospital’s dietary department made the couple a wedding cake. Staff called in an outside officiant.

And on March 26, the pair were married in the ICU, the hospital wrote.

It was Chamul’s first day out of isolation, per the Independent.

Two family members were able to attend the nuptials.

“Their entire family wants to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and to continue to pray for him to get well,” the hospital wrote. “They are so appreciative of everyone who was able to make this happen today!!”

Chamul and Cuevas exchanged silicone rings borrowed from hospital staff, the Independent reported.

Photos posted to Facebook show the newlyweds donning their rings and sharing a smooch.

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“In sickness and in health takes on a whole new meaning to them and their families,” the hospital wrote.

Grand Island is in central Nebraska roughly 95 miles west of Lincoln.

Read next:

Nurses reunite COVID-positive couple married 63 years for ‘date’ at Illinois hospital

Mom and baby reunited months after she gave birth in coma due to COVID in Wisconsin

Couples get creative so they can marry during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s how

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