A bride and groom were stuck in the hospital. Then came ‘a gesture I’ll never forget’
Vicky Abarca Zacatula has watched couples marry at the hospital in movies and on television. But celebrating her own wedding at one was not part of her plan.
“I never thought this was going to be my situation,” she said in a phone interview.
Abarca Zacatula was transferred in an ambulance to the UNC Rex hospital Women’s Center on Jan. 29 because of complications with her pregnancy. Because of her medical history with a previous miscarriage, she needed special medical attention, she said.
Uncertain of how long her stay would be, she and her fiancee Jason Thedford decided to postpone their Feb. 4 wedding at Lake Johnson.
“I had everything — the venue, the food — ready for our wedding day,” she said. “My family was really looking forward to (the wedding).”
Once Abarca Zacatula was in a more stable condition, the medical staff in her unit started thinking of ways they could honor the couple’s special day.
“The doctors, everyone here, said, ‘We’ve got you!’” she said, referencing their plan to host the wedding at the hospital. “That’s not something that gets offered all the time.”
On Friday afternoon, the same day as their postponed Lake Johnson wedding , Abarca Zacatula and Thedford got married in the UNC Rex Hospital chapel.
The impromptu celebration was complete with flowers, music, cake, close family and, of course, their rings.
The hospital’s Labor and Delivery manager, nurse Megan Dunston, an ordained minister, officiated the ceremony.
“I know that when someone cares, they just make it happen,” the bride said of the team. “It’s a gesture I’ll never forget.”
Even Abarca Zacatula’s hospital room was transformed into a “honeymoon suite” with rose petals and sparkling grape juice and water.
Planning and hosting a wedding was a welcome distraction from the hectic day-in and day-out of working in a hospital during a pandemic, Dunston said in a statement provided by UNC Health.
“Coming at a time when there’s so much sadness and confusion and chaos in health care right now, this was so special,” Dunston said.
The newlyweds, who live in Angier in Harnett County, are expecting a boy. He is due April 21.
This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 11:33 AM with the headline "A bride and groom were stuck in the hospital. Then came ‘a gesture I’ll never forget’."
