When Nicola Rankin’s father had a heart attack eight days before her wedding, the bride-to-be was devastated.
Not only was she concerned for her dad’s health, but she was also worried he wouldn’t recover in time to walk her down the aisle for her marriage to William Rankin, 30.
As such, she was fully prepared to cancel her big day.
But thanks to staff at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie and Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, her father Andy Reilly, 57, recovered in time to fulfil his fatherly duties.
Nicola, 27, who is from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, told The Daily Record: “I can’t thank the hospital staff enough for what they did. They all knew dad had a wedding to attend and I’m sure that spurred them on to even greater heights as they worked to get him better.”
Taxi driver Andy suffered a heart attack eight days before his daughter’s wedding and had to have surgery to fit stents into his body. This procedure increases blood supply to the heart muscle by widening narrowed coronary arteries and allowing blood to flow through again.
After he was rushed to hospital, Nicola vowed that she would cancel the wedding if he wasn’t better in time.
“I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it,” she said.
But luckily, hospital staff were on hand to help him make a speedy recovery and he was discharged in time to walk his daughter down the aisle.
Nicola, who married William at Motherwell’s Bentley Hotel in front of 160 guests, said: “Dad was on great form on the day despite having had a heart attack just over a week before.”
He lasted the whole night, although he wasn’t up dancing as usual.”
She explained that her father “lasted the whole night”, despite not being able to tuck into wedding cake or bust a groove on the dance floor.
Nicola added that the best part of the day was the father-daughter dance, where there “wasn’t a dry eye in the house”.
The family said they can’t thank staff enough for getting Andy back on his feet in time for his daughter’s big day.
