Sarah Kempinska’s wedding planning took two years, but uncertainty loomed until the week of the event as she lay unconscious in a London, Ont., hospital. Kempinska was dealing with Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, an autoimmune disease affecting her airways and lungs. Her routine surgeries, usually same-day operations, took an unexpected turn, leading to complications. The bride returned to London struggling to breathe, resulting in a visit to the emergency department at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) on May 23. She was eventually intubated and placed in a medically-induced coma.
Despite being in a coma, Kempinska’s fiance Jim Kelly used her fingerprint to access her phone and manage the wedding plans. Radio personality Jim Kelly, with FM96, helped keep the arrangements intact. Meanwhile, the hospital staff did their part to make sure Kempinska had the possibility of walking down the aisle. They washed and braided her hair to prevent matting before the wedding day. They also carefully placed the central line for her IV to avoid interfering with her dress neckline. Additionally, one nurse wrote her a letter, not to be read until her wedding day, which she now has framed.
Remarkably, Kempinska’s sister, Anna Kempinska, an emergency department physician at LHSC’s Children’s Hospital, experienced the unique situation of being on the other side as a concerned family member. Despite the uncertainty, Kempinska awoke from her coma just four days before the wedding. Although she was using a walker and felt exhausted after a few steps, she was determined to marry Jim. The couple considered alternative dates, unsure if the wedding would go ahead, but ultimately, they just wanted to be married to each other.
Kempinska left the hospital on May 30 and got married on June 3. With assistance, she was able to walk down the aisle and even dance a little. LHSC believes the impact of Kempinska’s disease was more severe than initially thought, compounded by the longer surgery timeframe and potential medication ineffectiveness. Going forward, LHSC plans to explore better medical control to reduce complications in future surgeries. Kempinska knows there is no cure for her condition, but she feels fortunate to have a dedicated medical team monitoring her. With another treatment successfully completed, she is happily married and feeling well, reflecting on the miraculous turn of events.
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