In sickness and in health

Saturday, April 25, 2009 3:06 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

CONCORD — At 6:30 on a recent Friday night, Kelly Herbert was attending her wedding rehearsal in the backyard of her home. Shortly after the run through, Kelly's headache, which had been bothering her since Wednesday, got considerably worse.

Blaming it on a very bad migraine surrounding wedding stress, she excused herself from those in attendance and retired for the evening in hopes that the persistent pain would be gone in time for the wedding the following morning.

Kelly awoke the next day with slurred speech, trouble with her vision and weakness in her facial muscles. Her fiancŽe and soon-to-be husband, David Yandow, took Kelly to Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast where initial testing in the Emergency Care Center determined she had suffered a stroke.

The admitting nurse in the Emergency Care Center called ahead to the Neurology Department to make preparations for Kelly's arrival on the fourth floor. The admitting nurse casually mentioned to nurses Angela Johnson and Vickie Martin that Kelly's recent diagnosis was about to interrupt her wedding, scheduled to take place at 11 that morning.

After additional testing, doctors moved Kelly to the Intensive Care Unit for observation and further tests. She would remain in ICU for four days. The 40 people who had planned to gather in her backyard, the minister, the cake, the flowers and the dress were all put on hold. It was her wedding day, and her daughter and flower girl, Jasmine, and son and ring bearer, Paxton, were gathered near her hospital bed instead of standing by her side to witness the vows.

After receiving the news about spending the next four days in the Intensive Care Unit, Kelly looked at David and asked, "Can we get married É today?"

Angela and Vickie scrambled with a few phone calls and made arrangements to expedite some remaining tests and transform Kelly's room into a makeshift, clinical wedding chapel. Someone contacted the minister, Rodney Taylor, along with several of the family and friends who had traveled to town for the wedding. They all soon arrived at the hospital as plans for a 3 p.m. ceremony came together.

And so at 3 p.m. in room 4374 of CMC-NorthEast's Neuro Sciences Department, Kelly Herbert and David Yandow became man and wife in the company of family, friends and a proud flower girl and ring bearer (with a few nurses and staff quietly standing outside). There wasn't a cake, and, to her great disappointment, Kelly wasn't able to wear the wedding dress she had selected months before.

After spending the next four days in ICU, Kelly returned to her original room on the fourth floor, which was quickly filled with floral bouquets and visitors.

After being discharged. she returned to her Kannapolis home. According to neurologist Dr. Russell Bodner, Kelly's prognosis for recovery is good.

"Her young age is a good thing which will continue to benefit her healing," Bodner said.

But there was this issue of the wedding dress.

So on Saturday, Kelly and David plan to try it all again — in the sunny backyard of their home, in the company of their families and friends. She will wear her dress, have the cake and the flowers, and the ring bearer and flower girl will repeat their important roles. Pictures will be taken and memories will be made. There will be smiles and hugs all around.

Kelly and David will get married again.

And this time, with no headaches.