Woman Who Married In Hospital Receives Lifesaving Transplant Hours After Ceremony
Woman Who Married In Hospital Receives Lifesaving Wedding Gift
Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK
|
A woman battling a rare, incurable auto-immune disease received a lifesaving wedding present just hours after she married the love of her life in hospital.
Bile ducts are critical to break down the fats in food for digestion.
She had planned to marry Dave Amison on 30 December, however her condition had deteriorated to the point where she feared she wouldn't make it, so she brought her wedding forward to Christmas Day.
The mum-of-one married Amison in the chapel at Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham.
Hours later, she received the ultimate wedding present - a liver transplant that would save her life.
Open Image Modal
Emma and Dave
Amison, 30, proposed to Hopley last year on Christmas Day.
He said the couple had originally planned to marry in Crewe but due to Hopley's deteriorating health, they had no choice but to wed in hospital.
Hopley's friend did her hair and make-up, and brought her a dress to hospital. Meanwhile her father and eight-year-old son were on hand to take her down the aisle in a wheelchair.
The service was an "emotional" one and just hours later Hopley was told the news she'd been waiting for - they'd found a donor match.
Hopley has since undergone a 14-hour transplant operation and, despite a few complications during surgery, she is said to be recovering well in hospital.
Once she is better, she hopes to have another ceremony at her dream wedding venue in Crewe.
Her husband added that they are extremely thankful for the liver donor who has given them the greatest gift of all.
He added: "Even though we don’t know who the family are, they will always be in our thoughts."
Leanne Stefanovic, 31, found her soulmate with ease, but it was the best man who became her perfect match. He stepped up to donate his kidney to the bride who had been chained to dialysis for four years. (credit:Alamy)
When former HuffPost Impact editor Erica Liepmann found out that she was a match to donate a kidney to her adopted mum, the news felt that much more miraculous when Liepmann learned just how rare it is for biological strangers to be compatible. "The fact that my mother didn't actually give birth to me, yet I still had the perfect organ to save her life, solidified my belief that this was fate -- perhaps even part of a divine plan -- for me to be the one to donate," Liepmann said. (credit:Courtesy of Erica Liepmann)
Christa Taylor Green Lives On(05 of21)
Open Image Modal
When the youngest victim of the Tuscon, Ariz., shootings died last year, the parents of Christina Taylor Green, 9, were determined to perpetuate her legacy by donating her organs, a gift which helped at least one young girl in Boston. (credit:AP)
Woman Gives Kidney To Brother(06 of21)
Open Image Modal
After her brother struggled for 45 years with a number of health issues -- starting with losing a kidney to a tumor at 9 months old -- Elissa Stein learned that she was a match to save her brother's life. She didn't hesitate stepping up to help. (credit:AP)
NEXT: Sisters Get Lunch Transplants From Same Donor
Anna Williamson, Irma Myers-Santana(10 of21)
Open Image Modal
In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Irma Myers-Santana, left, and her sister Anna Williamson visit in Williamson's hospital room in Houston. Earlier this month the sisters ended up in the same operating room, each getting one lung from the same donor. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
Anna Williamson, Irma Myers-Santana, Matthias Loebe, Scott Scheinin(11 of21)
Open Image Modal
In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Anna Williamson, left, clowns around with her surgeon Dr. Matthias Loebe, second from left, as her sister Irma Myers-Santana, right, visits with her surgeon Dr. Scott Scheinin, second from right, in a hospital room in Houston. Earlier this month the sisters ended up in the same operating room, each getting one lung from the same donor. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
Anna Williamson, Irma Myers-Santana(12 of21)
Open Image Modal
In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo. Irma Myers-Santana, left, and her sister Anna Williamson, right, sing a song as Kim Pappas films them with her cell phone in Houston. Earlier this month the sisters ended up in the same operating room, each getting one lung from the same donor. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
Anna Williamson, Irma Myers-Santana(13 of21)
Open Image Modal
In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Irma Myers-Santana, left, and her sister Anna Williamson visit in Williamson's hospital room in Houston. Earlier this month the sisters ended up in the same operating room, each getting one lung from the same donor. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
Kim Pappas, Irma Myers-Santans, Anna Williamson(14 of21)
Open Image Modal
In this Jan. 14, 2014 photo, Anna Williamson, right, looks on as her daughter Kim Pappas, center, checks her Aunt Irma Myers-Santana's makeup before a video interview Tuesday in Houston. The two sisters shared an operating room as they each received a lung from the same donor earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
(15 of21)
Open Image Modal
NEXT: How To Share Your Health
(16 of21)
Open Image Modal
Signing up to OneMatch's stem cell and bone marrow registry is easier than ever, done both online and through the mail. Go to OneMatch.ca, fill out the form and the test is sent via post.
(17 of21)
Open Image Modal
Check out OneSight and other organizations that accept donations of old eyeglasses that can be passed on to the one billion people around the world who need glasses. (credit:ShutterStock)
(18 of21)
Open Image Modal
Donate old medical supplies - wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, unused incontinence pads, diapers, bath towels - to organizations like the StarFish Project that ship supplies to HIV clinics in Nigeria. (credit:Flickr: candyschwartz)
(19 of21)
Open Image Modal
Grow your hair for someone else! Donate your long hair to programs like Cuts for Cancer that create wigs for cancer patients. (credit:ShutterStock)
(20 of21)
Open Image Modal
Make sure to fill out your organ donation cards and inform your family of your wishes. Many provinces include the organ donation card when you receive a driver's license.
(21 of21)
Open Image Modal
Keep up-to-date on the changing rules and regulations around donating blood. And know your type: At 39 per cent, Canada's most common blood type is O+; at less than 1 per cent, the least common blood type is AB-.