A loving dad forced to miss his daughter’s wedding because of a heart transplant on the day itself finally got to share an emotional first-look with the bride weeks later.
Simon Green, 54, from North Devon, in England, suffered from a heart attack in April 2022, which resulted in him having five stents and seeing his heart function drop to just 23 percent.
According to his family, Simon was told a bypass was needed, and after undergoing a triple bypass in a nearby hospital, his heart function remained at 25 percent and he was in and out of hospital for months.
By February 2023, doctors decided his heart was still very weak and he would need a transplant.
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Around Easter time, doctors at Harefield Hospital, near London, informed Simon’s family they now had an available bed, where he could wait until a donor could be found.
While Simon was being cared for by doctors, daughter Meghan, 29, and fiancé Kane, 31, continued to prepare for their wedding, hiring a videographer and working out arrangements to make Simon feel part of the day.
At the venue, there would be a cardboard cutout of Simon, who had recorded his father of the bride speech to be played at the venue.
The couple also set up a camera so he could watch his daughter come down the aisle via live webcam.
On July 12, the morning of the wedding, as Meghan was getting ready, Simon called to inform her that a heart donor had been found and he was set to go into surgery that day.
This made the day a “rollercoaster of emotions,” she said, as when dancing the night away, for example, she received a call to say her father’s operation was going well, that his heart had been removed and doctors were heading to the next stage of the operation.
Given that Simon had been in surgery on the big day itself, Meghan decided to plan a traditional first-look shoot with her father later, so her dad could see her dress firsthand.
Meghan’s wedding videographers, Amy and Nick of Sunday Love Photo and Film, agreed to help set up the shoot on September 6 once Simon had recovered.
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As soon as he turned around and saw his daughter in her white dress, Simon immediately burst into floods of tears, sobbing on Meghan’s shoulder as the pair hugged.
Meghan said: “People were amazed about the fate of that day – gobsmacked, stunned, and many tears were shed.
“I don’t know how I want people to take this, as it’s really hard to go through if you’re going through it.
“You need someone to lose their life for you to keep someone alive in your life.
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“It’s a really sad situation, but an amazing gift to the person that receives the organ.
“I, for one, am all in for organ donation, as I know the relief and joy it can bring for others receiving a match.
“My dad feels forever in the debt to the family that lost a loved one for him to be able to still be alive.
“It’s just surreal.”