The pair said their vows just hours before the groom underwent a lifesaving heart transplant.
A Maine couple said “I do” inside a hospital chapel just hours before the groom underwent a lifesaving heart transplant at Tufts Medical Center. Adam Carnes , 44, and his partner, Salem , had planned to marry in the future.
Instead, they rushed their wedding at Tufts after doctors told Carnes he was too sick to leave without a new heart.“We already knew we wanted to get married, but we hadn’t made any plans yet,” Carnes said.Then came unexpected news.“They said, ‘We have good news and bad news,’” Carnes said. “The good news is we’ve accepted a heart for you. The bad news is your surgery is tomorrow morning — the same time as your wedding.”Carnes has lived with heart failure since his 20s. His condition worsened in January 2026, leaving a transplant as his only option.“He was completely out of breath,” Salem said. “I knew something was really wrong.”Most patients wait months or even years for a transplant. Carnes received a match almost immediately.“I was gobsmacked,” he said.Calling it a miracle, the couple decided to marry before surgery. Hospital staff quickly stepped in to help. Within hours, staff transformed a hospital meditation room into a wedding venue. They gathered decorations, arranged a barber for the groom and even baked a cake.“Our friends were changing in the parking garage, trying to make it in time,' Carnes said. Surrounded by the same team preparing for his surgery, the couple exchanged vows.“When I saw it all set up, I thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” Carnes said. “They really made it personal.”The next day, Carnes received his new heart — a gift made possible by a donor family experiencing loss.“It’s the yin and the yang of this,” the nurse said. “There’s immeasurable grief, but also this incredible gift — a second chance at life.”Carnes is now recovering and says he already feels a difference, with more energy and even a sense of warmth returning. Doctors continue to monitor his progress.More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants, including about 3,000 awaiting a heart.
Heart Heartwarming Help Hospital Kindness Love Maine Massachusetts Medical Medicine Organ Transplant Tufts Wedding Adam Carnes Maine Couple Hospital Hour Wedding Surgery Transplant Heart Transplant Doctor Same Time Hospital Staff Bad News Groom Gift Salem Good News Couple
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