A pregnancy complication changed an MGH nurse's wedding plans. Her colleagues ensured she still got married. | Mass General Brigham

A pregnancy complication changed an MGH nurse's wedding plans. Her colleagues ensured she still got married.

By Jessica Zimmerman

MGH nurse Kareena Pinto kisses her husband, Mike O'Donnell, outside the historic Bulfinch Building after their wedding at Mass General. (All wedding photos by Jeffrey Andree/MGH Photo Lab.)

One year ago, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) nurse Kareena Pinto, RN, was telling her colleagues on Phillips House 22 about an upcoming trip to Ireland. Pinto would be joining her boyfriend, Mike O'Donnell, and his family.

"For years, Mike and I lived only three miles apart - our paths unknowingly weaving in and out of the same small town," Pinto said. "When we finally met in 2024, it felt effortless, like coming home to someone we have been meant to find all along. Over the next year, our story unfolded with so many wonderful, shared moments: holidays with family, dinners filled with laughter, late nights piecing puzzles and building Lego sets, and countless adventures."

Would he propose during the trip to Ireland? It became a fun guessing game among her Phillips House 22 colleagues. Make sure you pack a nice dress, urged friend and colleague Hallé Efthimiades, RN.

Then, amid the stately grandeur of Ireland's Dromoland Castle, in a moment ripped from the pages of a fairytale, O'Donnell got down on one knee and "asked the question that would begin our forever," Pinto recalled.

They soon began planning their dream wedding, set for June 13, 2026. In the midst of choosing venues, menus and color palettes, the couple learned Pinto was pregnant with a baby girl, due Aug. 16, 2026.

They were elated - and determined to celebrate both blessings. Life took a different turn, however. During what was supposed to be a routine prenatal appointment a week before the wedding, Pinto was diagnosed with preeclampsia with severe features, a life-threatening condition. She was admitted to MGH immediately and would need to remain hospitalized for the rest of her pregnancy.

"I was devastated," she said. "I had not said a proper goodbye to Mike, my family and my two dogs. There were plenty of tears and trips to the healing garden at MGH to pray for our little girl, not knowing what to expect. Our dream wedding was no longer possible. My spirit was crushed. I begged to be able to go home for my wedding day, but it was not a safe plan for either me or the baby."

Third-year OB-GYN resident Bryan Akahara, MD, who had befriended Pinto during his intern year, recalled those difficult moments.

"When Kareena was admitted to our service, my heart broke for her," he said. "My sadness was rooted mostly in the personal and human reality of what she was facing. I knew this diagnosis would suddenly change the plans she had made for her pregnancy, her wedding and her life, and she would now need to remain in the hospital until delivery. I remember our first conversation during her admission with her partner, and the look on her face as the reality of what this meant for them - and for their wedding plans - began to sink in."

Though when it seemed like all hope was lost - just like in a fairytale - something magical happened.

Labor of love

With two days' notice, nursing staff on Ellison 13's Antepartum Unit and Spiritual Care staff rallied several teams together to plan an enchanting wedding for the couple in Mass General's chapel.

The MGH Flower Shop donated a bouquet. The Photo Lab volunteered to take photos. Pinto's high-risk obstetrics care team helped manage her symptoms so she could safely participate in the ceremony. E-vites quickly went out to family and friends. Molly Lyttle, DNP, RN, OCN, nursing director for Phillips House 22, arranged for staff on the unit to attend in person or virtually.

The bride celebrates with her Mass General colleagues.

Surrounded by the chapel's wood paneling, stained glass and warm lighting, Father Elias Ojomah performed the wedding ceremony with a Catholic Mass. Members of the Spiritual Care team read passages about love and sang wedding hymns that moved the bride to tears. MGH photographer Jeffrey Andree captured family photos at Mass General's iconic Bulfinch Building, "a moment we shall never forget," Pinto said.

"The day was filled with so much love, laughter and tears," she added. "It was truly the most heartwarming wedding celebration."

Among the guests was Efthimiades, now a Labor and Delivery nurse and a newlywed herself. "The day I returned to work from my own honeymoon, I learned that Kareena and Mike's wedding plans had unexpectedly changed and they would be getting married in the MGH chapel that day," she said. "I was so incredibly happy that I was able to be there to witness their wedding and celebrate such a special moment with them."

The experience left a lasting impression on Akahara as well.

"Caring for Kareena each day was both a blessing and a lesson. Despite everything she was navigating, she continued to approach each day with a smile, grace and remarkable strength," he said. "It was especially beautiful to watch her pivot and see the community around her rally to support her. Her nursing colleagues, in particular, went above and beyond to make sure her wedding could still happen, even within the walls of the hospital. Watching everyone come together to create such a meaningful and beautiful day for Kareena and her husband is something I will always remember."

One more sweet surprise

After the festivities subsided, the newlyweds soon realized their story would have yet another dramatic plot twist.

"With renewed spirit, hope and peace of mind, Mike and I spent the long days in the hospital doing what we loved: building Legos, crafting and watching Harry Potter movies on repeat," Pinto said. "Unexpectedly, again, plans changed. I was beginning to show signs of not being able to maintain the pregnancy safely, and our little girl, Chloe, would have to make her entrance into the world sooner rather than later."

A few days after the wedding, baby Chloe arrived at 31 weeks gestation. She is now home and continues to grow stronger each day, thanks to the expert, family-centered care she received in Mass General Brigham for Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery.