Laurence Crumbie
A SPANISH couple with COVID-19 have got married in a Madrid hospital in a moving ceremony organised by the nurses.
Rosario, 62, and Fernando, 70, caught the virus from Rosario’s son and were admitted to La Paz hospital on January 23.
They were subsequently transferred to the Isabel Zendal hospital, where they received treatment in separate rooms.
Fernando had never expressed an interest in marriage in the 13 years they had been together, but lying in his bed on oxygen made him realise that it might be now or never.
He popped the question over WhatsApp, much to Rosario’s delight.
“Claro que si!” she answered. “This is my entire life’s dream.”
The nurses helped to organise the wedding, arranging for a priest to preside over the ceremony via Zoom and acting as witnesses on the day.
They also made a crown of white flowers for Rosario and put a dapper, black bow tie on Fernando.
The couple, both dressed in white hospital gowns, made their vows at Fernando’s bedside, which was decorated with heart-shaped balloons, and a team of hospital staff applauded when the priest pronounced them husband and wife.
Careful not to break the rules, Rosario kept her face mask on for the kiss – but if anything, that only made the moment more romantic.
“The fact that this marriage [was carried out] here, in circumstances I would never have imagined nor dreamed of – for me it is like a great blessing,” she told reporters later.
Both newlyweds are expected to make a full recovery. An unmarried nurse caught the flowers.
