ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Wedding bells rang Thursday in an unlikely place.
A COVID-19 survivor couldn’t wait another minute to marry the love of his life, so they tied the knot right outside of Orange Park Medical Center’s rehab center.
“I couldn’t talk, so I had to point like this to let them know about marriage," survivor Henry Bell. "And that’s how I proposed to her.”
So, what started out as a fight for his life in the intensive care unit ended in rose petals and 'I do's'.
Henry Bell said his love for Antionette is what gave him the courage to beat the coronavirus.
“We’ve been engaged for a while. We’ve had a lot of family members say: 'when, when when?'” Antionette Bell, his new wife said.
Once he got up on his feet, Antionette Bell said, she knew it was time.
"The whole time he was just so excited to get better and to get back to this family," Kaitlin Trueblood, a speech-language pathologist said.
When Henry Bell first began his recovery, she explained, he couldn't walk and had a tracheostomy. Trueblood helped Henry Bell learn how to eat and drink safely again.
“And I know with occupational and physical therapy, with their help, he stood probably for the longest during that ceremony that he ever had," Trueblood said. "So, I mean, that was awesome to be able to see him be able to stand and get married.”
After this journey, the couple wanted to share their big day with all of the Orange Park Medical Center staff who helped make their vows possible.
“It’s more like a family environment, and I wanted to keep it that way. I wanted to leave out that way," he explained.
He is set to go home to his new wife and dog on Friday.