Nearly two years ago, a man donated a piece of his liver to a stranger, and last weekend, she gave him her heart in return. The two were married in a church outside of Chicago this weekend.
When doctors diagnosed Heather Krueger, 27, with stage 4 liver disease, they told her she had just a few months to live.
"They immediately told me I was going to need a transplant," Krueger told CBS News. "By that time, I could really feel my body shutting down."
But there wasn't much time to find a donor.
But one day, Chris Dempsey, who had never met Krueger, overheard a colleague at work talking about her situation. He decided to get tested to see if he'd be a match. The former Marine said he is programmed to help others.
"I spent four years in the Marine Corps and learned there never to run away from anything," Dempsey told CBS. "So I just said to myself, 'Hey, if I can help, I'm going to help.'"
After finding out that they were compatible, the two met for lunch to discuss what the process would be like.
The transplant was successful, and the two stayed in touch, eventually falling in love. Last weekend, a year and a half after the liver transplant, they tied the knot in a ceremony in front of family and friends.
"You are the most incredible man I have ever known," Krueger told Dempsey in her wedding vows. "You believe in me, and you make me feel amazing every single day. Because of you, I laugh, smile, and I dare to dream again."
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