The Wedding Day
A person’s wedding day is one of the most memorable days of their life. It is the day that you promise to spend the rest of your life with the person you love. Some people remember the ceremony the best, some remember every detail of the reception, and many people remember the entire day fondly. But for Toni Caroll and Jesse Welsh is a different scene.
Toni Carroll and Jesse Welsh
Toni and Jesse are from Melbourne, Australia. They met in high school, and they started dating. They had a great relationship, and unlike many high school sweethearts, their love lasted. In 2014, they got engaged, but they had to put their plans to get married on hold for a bit. When Toni found out she was pregnant. Rather than spending their savings on a wedding, they decided to spend it on the baby. Toni gave birth to a baby girl, and they named her Amelia. With a new baby at home, they couldn’t save up for a wedding. They remained engaged but decided to put their wedding on the back burner.
A Second Baby
In 2018, Toni and Jesse found out that they were expecting another baby. They knew that this meant that their wedding would be put off again. Because they were so excited about their growing family, they were willing to put their wedding plans off again. They figured that they would have plenty of time in the future to have their dream wedding. They had no idea that fate had other ideas.
Devastating News
When Toni was pregnant with her second child, she discovered a growth forming on her neck. When she gave birth in December 2018 to her daughter, Madisyn. Sadly, at the same time, she was told hat she had cancer. It was called Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it was severe. Toni was devastated. As if that weren’t enough, she was also told that she was suffering from heart failure. What should have been the happiest time of her life was filled with fear.
Chemo and Heart Failure
After her diagnosis, Toni began chemotherapy in hopes of treating the cancer. She was also fighting her heart condition. The two combined was taking a lot out of the young mother. Her condition quickly became so serious that she was admitted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne because they specialize in heart and cancer patients. Since she was suffering from both ailments, it was the best place for her to be. Shortly after she was admitted, her condition deteriorated to the point where she had to be put in a medically induced coma. He was put on life support to keep her vital functions going. Her prognosis was very bleak.
ECMO
The doctors didn’t think that the medically induced coma was doing enough for Toni, so they put her on an ECMO machine. This device is designed to ease the pressure on her heart and lungs. She was also put on a heart pump. With her health getting worse and worse, the doctors broke the news to Jesse that she likely had only days to live. Toni managed to hold on, and the doctors had to operate on her heart. They made sure that everyone knew that there was a chance that Toni wouldn’t make it though the surgery.
Jesse’s Proposal
Knowing the Toni may not make it through the surgery, Jesse asked her to marry him again. He told her that this time, they weren’t going to put it off. Toni happily accepted, and they left the wedding, planning to the hospital employees. Toni’s nurse, Paul Leonard, was the wedding planner, and he got the staff together to plan a beautiful wedding for Toni and Jesse.
Sending An Email
Because Paul had many responsibilities at work, he decided to find other people to help with the wedding. He sent an email to the ICU staff asking who wanted to be involved. He ended up getting an overwhelming response. And he had more than enough people to help bake cakes and decorate. The couple wanted to get married in the chapel, but Toni couldn’t get out of bed. Fortunately, Paul had a solution to the problem. They decided to have Toni wheeled in her bed into the chapel, where Jesse and her family would be waiting.
Toni’s Excitement
Even though Toni was nearing the end of her short life, she was happy. She was just as excited as any bride-to-be who was planning to get married. The hospital staff who helped with the wedding said that Toni’s positive attitude inspired them.
The Wedding: Married In Hospital Bed
There were 150 hospital employees who helped put the wedding together. It took three days to plan, and Toni and Jesse were married in the hospital chapel in front of their friends and family. For Toni, it was her dream wedding. She says that the love that everyone showed by planning the wedding and pulling it off made it the happiest day of her life. Jesse says that seeing Toni in her wedding dress was better than he ever imagined it would be. A mom married in her hospital bed while hooked to life support, and the tragic scene touched hearts.
A Life Together
A few days after the married in hospital bed, Toni had her surgery, and she pulled though. She stayed in the hospital, and she was getting better. She and Jesse were thrilled when the doctors told her that she would be going home soon. Toni didn’t have much time to spend with her daughters, and it was what she wanted more than anything. Jesse says that he is looking forward to having his wife home so that they could live like a normal family.
