A groom who was gravely ill when he wed his wife in a lockdown hospital ceremony as he waited for a new heart is planning to renew his vows – after finally receiving a life-saving transplant.
Stevie Cairns, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, is recovering at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank after a match was found for him last week following three previous disappointments.
The 49-year-old kept the major surgery a secret from new wife Katie, 51, because he didn’t want to dash her hopes if the transplant fell through again.
But the operation was a success and Stevie is hopeful he will be released from hospital in the coming weeks if he continues to make good progress.
The couple now plan to hold a second wedding celebration at Celtic Park when he is well enough and once Covid-19 regulations allow them to be with all of their family and friends.
Stevie said: “I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without Katie’s support. Onwards and upwards for a wee do at Celtic Park.”
And in an emotional message to the grieving family of the donor who saved his life, Stevie told the Record: “I have to thank the person who gave so much so that I can have a chance. They are the hero in this.”
We told in May how Stevie and Katie donned full PPE to say “I do” in hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Stevie suffered serious heart complications this year and was wired to a machine that kept his heart beating.
The Celtic-mad pair said their vows at his bedside after their dream plan to marry at Parkhead had to be scrapped.
On the big day, Stevie and Katie were celebrating news that not only was he expected to receive a new heart that evening, but their team had just been crowned Premiership champions for the ninth time in a row.
However, they were left devastated when the operation was cancelled at the last moment – but now, almost three months on, Stevie has his new heart.
Katie said: “This was his fourth attempt at this operation.
“Stevie didn’t tell me when he got the match last Wednesday. When I phoned the ward at 9.45pm, they told me he was away down to theatre.
“He hadn’t wanted to tell me until he was under because the last time was very disappointing for us both and he didn’t want me going through that again.
“It was a long, long night. I didn’t sleep at all and an intensive care nurse phoned me at about 9am the next morning saying he was as well as could be expected. I was allowed to go and see him that day but he was on the ventilator and didn’t even know I was there.
“Where he’s got his strength from since then I don’t know but on Sunday I went in to find him sitting up eating an Indian.
“I also took his new Celtic strip in for him and he was delighted.
“I’m so proud of him. We’ve still got a long road ahead but the early signs are just amazing.”
Stevie doesn’t know any details about the donor who saved his life, but Katie said: “Whoever the family is who have lost a loved one, the gift they have given to Stevie and myself is the best gift you can ever give.
“I’m just so grateful to them.”
