A father in love called in from the hospital to give his daughter away after waiting for six new organs for more than a year.
Richard Gibson smiled as he led his youngest daughter, Jenny, to the altar – although he was in pain with every step.
Less than an hour after the ceremony, the doctors called Richard with good news.
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A donor has been found, reports the Mirror.
Richard, from Belfast, tearfully said goodbye to his family and flew to Cambridge to be treated by the only team in Britain willing to attempt such a massive transplant.
The surgeons worked in the mammoth for 21 hours to replace its kidney, liver, intestines, stomach, spleen and pancreas.
It took the surgeons 21 hours to replace six of Richard’s vital organs
The 57-year-old said, “I didn’t know how much longer I had, so I was determined to lead Jenny to the altar. As long as I did that, I didn’t worry about the rest of the day. Then it was very emotional to get that call.
“It was hard to believe that it actually happened.”
Richard fell ill at the wedding of their eldest daughter Lisa in July 2016 in Cyprus. He was barely healthy enough to travel home – and was hospitalized with complications from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Surgeons in London were planning a liver and kidney transplant, but when Richard was high on the waiting list the following year, he suffered from multiple organ failure.
Richard continued, “They said there was nothing they could do, the operation was too complex. It was devastating, suddenly all our hope was gone. “
A team from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge offered to have the operation done instead – but Richard was deteriorating so quickly that there was no guarantee that a donor would be found in time.
His family feared that he would be too sick to go to Jenny’s wedding – or that maybe he hadn’t even survived that long.
There was a brief glimmer of hope when Richard was called to Cambridge, but the transplant was canceled at the last minute because the organs did not fit well enough.
Richard was seriously ill – but is much better now
So the family hastily arranged a second, smaller wedding for the immediate family.
The big day took place on New Year’s Eve 2017 – and Richard and Jenny are now telling their story as a thank you to the doctors and to promote organ donation.
Jenny remembered her big day: “I was at work and my sister Lisa called me and told me she had found a venue. I hung up the phone and said, ‘Oh my god, I’m getting married on Saturday’.
“Lisa and my mom sorted everything. They found me a silver dress, booked a limousine, arranged the flowers. It was amazing.”
Richard became very unwell on December 30th and was hospitalized.
His family stayed with him until 3:30 a.m. when he persuaded them to go home and rest before the wedding.
“I will always be incredibly grateful to my donor, my life has changed so much”
Richard checked out later that morning and came home just in time for a quick cup of tea before putting on his wedding suit.
Jenny continued, “Every time the wedding car drove over a bump, you could see it tense up. He never stopped smiling, but you could see he was in such intense pain. He looked gray and fragile. He could hardly speak, but he was there. “
After the ceremony, Richard posed for photos with Jenny and groom Adam before resting in his hotel room.
He checked his phone and saw a missed call from the hospital.
Bridesmaid Lisa was about to deliver the bride’s father’s speech on her father’s behalf when he burst in to bring them the news.
Richard traveled to England with his wife, Joan, 57, and underwent a series of tests on New Years Day prior to the multiple transplants.
It was on the operating table until 5 a.m., that was Joan’s birthday and the day Jenny was to leave for her honeymoon in Dubai.
Three years later Richard is much healthier – and only survived a Covid attack a few months ago.
Thanks to his donor, the former bus driver was able to meet and play with his two grandchildren Archie (now two) and Rickson (10 months).
Richard said, “I will always be incredibly grateful to my donor. After being told that a transplant is not an option for me, they gave me a second chance. My life has changed so much.
“Holding Archie for the first time was wonderful because I didn’t know if that would ever happen. I only owe that to my donor. “
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