The University of Toledo
03/26/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/26/2026 02:13
A Dose of Hope: UTMC Staff Helps Stroke Patient Keep His Wedding Date While in Hospital
A Dose of Hope: UTMC Staff Helps Stroke Patient Keep His Wedding Date While in Hospital
The lead up to your wedding day can be some of the most stressful and exciting times of our lives.
But last September, just two days before his wedding, Michael Damschroder of Holland had other worries. While getting his haircut for his big day, Damschroder suffered a stroke. He was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center.
From left, UTMC registered nurse Leslie Caputo, Michael Damschroder and his wife, Paula, UTMC nurse assistant director Alexa Mcnamee, and UTMC registered nurse Yazin Abulkareem. The group reunited after Michael's full recovery from a September stroke; the same team that cared for him in September also helped the couple hold a small wedding ceremony at the hospital.
Damschroder was quick to befriend the staff helping in his recovery, connecting with nurses Yazin Abulkareem and Leslie Caputo.
"Other than having a stroke, I had a great time with these people. Laughed a lot," Damschroder said.
After a few days in the hospital, Damschroder realized he wasn't going to be discharged from the hospital in time to attend his wedding. So, he asked if he could invite some of the wedding guests and the officiant for a small ceremony in the hospital.
The nurses didn't hesitate to help.
"So, I talked with my charge nurse and my supervisor, and he said we can do it," Abulkareem said.
"It was my first wedding in 15 years to see in a hospital. Everything is possible," Caputo added.
UTMC staff set up for the ceremony in a larger room in the hospital to accommodate the visitors. And though the ceremony was on Abulkareem's day off, he still made the trip to the hospital to join the celebration.
"This is part of our job, honestly. This was kind of emotional support for sure," he said. "I was happy to see him get married that day."
After the wedding and a weeklong stay, Damschroder was released from the hospital. Six months later, he returned to UTMC with his wife, Paula, to thank the nurses and doctor who not only helped in his recovery but helped the couple celebrate their love.
Two days after Michael Damschroder was hospitalized at UTMC following a stroke, he and his then-fiancée, Paula, were married at the hospital in front of family, friends and UTMC nurses.
"It was incredible, absolutely incredible. That's why I want this story to be about them," Damschroder said.
Dr. Richard Burgess, a stroke program medical director for UToledo Health, said that a successful recovery from a stroke requires immediate medical attention.
"The quicker you get in, the faster we can get to you, the more we can do and the better we can improve the chances for recovery," Burgess said.
But along with the speed of care, Burgess said the purposeful, empathic care he saw the nursing staff provide Damschroder was equally vital to his recovery.
"There is no question that a positive attitude and having something to live for - it really does help," he said. "To have this huge life event and to have something happy and positive, it's got to have helped."
"Usually in the hospital we give out medicine, but I felt that day I gave him a dose of hope," Abulkareem said.
And Damschroder said once he got to his wedding ceremony, there was no doubt in his mind that he would recover from this medical emergency
"That is what they gave me, a dose of hope," Damschroder said. "I'm going to get through this."
The University of Toledo published this content on March 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 26, 2026 at 08:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]