Bonnyrigg couple tie the knot in hospital as husband awaits open-heart surgery

Hospital staff overheard the couple’s hopes and just days later, helped make it a reality

PPE-wearing sweethearts refused to let anything get in the way of love as they tied the knot in hospital, with staff as their witnesses.

Awaiting open-heart surgery and confined to a hospital bed, Steven Cairns, 49, and wife, Katie, 51, who live in Bonnyrigg, were determined to have their special day by any means.

Hospital staff overheard the couple’s hopes and just days later, helped make it a reality.

Awaiting open-heart surgery and confined to a hospital bed, Steven Cairns and Katie were determined to have their special day by any means.

After suffering with heart complications for a number of years, Steven’s condition worsened when on holiday in Lanzarote in January. After returning home, the business analyst was admitted to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in February with advanced heart failure where he's remained since.

The father-of-three from Ayrshire said that getting married was “something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” adding “everyone had to wear PPE, but we didn’t care about that, we just wanted to be married.”

He said: “The day was just amazing. We just asked the hospital about it and they were fantastic about the whole thing and even helped Katie arrange it.”

Bride Katie Morris, a family support worker, said the couple had previously discussed having the wedding on holiday in Lanzarote, because “you just don’t know what is going to happen in the future.”

“Although this isn’t what we intended, part of it was about being practical and pragmatic,” she added.

“The day was a bit overwhelming for us, but we are really happy it happened and we are now husband and wife.

“Wearing PPE during our ceremony wasn’t something we thought we’d have to do, but it didn’t take anything away from the happiness of the occasion.

“We’d like to thank the staff who really went above and beyond to make our dream happen and for everything they did for us and continue to do for Steven. We couldn’t ask for any more, especially at this difficult time,” she added.

Staff at the Golden Jubilee helped to decorate Steven’s room on the heart transplant ward, organised a Humanist celebrant to carry out the ceremony, with the hospital’s communications team taking care of wedding photos and a healthcare assistant and nurse acting as official witnesses.

Attendees were even treated to a three-tier wedding cake baked by staff nurse Liz Davidson.

National Services Ward Manager Euan Darroch said being a part of the couple’s special day was “an absolute privilege”.

“All of our staff worked really hard to make it a reality and I’m really proud of them.

“We are constantly thinking of new ways to keep our patients’ spirits up and helping them feel normal and connected to their families and loved ones as possible,” he said.

NHS Golden Jubilee Chief Executive Jann Gardner added: “I’m so happy for Steven and Katie and send them both my very best wishes on what was a very emotional day for them and everyone involved.”

The pair initially met through an online dating site, although Katie jokes that the couple might not have ended up married if she’d known how far away Steven lived: “I thought he was from Dalry in Edinburgh, not Dalry in Ayrshire, or I wouldn’t have clicked on his profile, because Ayrshire is too far away!”