Why wait? Patient gets married at St. Mary's Medical Center day after coming off vent

Recovering in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, it appeared that Ariana Sleen would need to postpone her wedding scheduled for Saturday, April 12.

The 23-year-old was admitted to St. Mary’s with severe back pain and a urinary tract infection. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and Ariana was placed on a ventilator and moved to the ICU. She eventually began to get better, and the vent was removed on Friday, April 11, a day before she was supposed to marry her fiancé, Chandler Sleen.

Recognizing that she wasn’t going to be out of the hospital by then, the couple decided to keep their wedding day and got married in one of the large patient rooms in the St. Mary’s birthplace that includes a stunning view of Lake Superior and Canal Park. Ariana’s care team, including her many nurses, were instrumental in preparing the room and ensuring it was ready for her big day. Friends and family attended.

Ariana and Chandler could be back in that same birthplace room in the near future — Ariana is about 30 weeks pregnant with their first child.

Here are a couple media stories of the Sleens’ resilience and unlikely wedding. 

Northern News Now: Save the date: Duluth couple married in hospital after bride-to-be rushed to ICU

WDIO: Bride gets married in the ICU after just coming off of the ventilator