Couple Who Reconciled 5 Decades After Divorcing, Get Married in ICU 2 Days Before Groom Dies

On Jan. 26, the intensive care unit at MountainView Hospital was filled with joy as 74-year-old Eddie D. and 75-year-old Patricia M. said "I do" five decades after ending their initial marriage

Photo: twitter

A Las Vegas couple stopped at nothing to make their love official again last month.

On Jan. 26, the intensive care unit at MountainView Hospital was filled with joy as 74-year-old Eddie D. and 75-year-old Patricia M. said "I do" five decades after ending their initial marriage.

"We were young and stupid," Patricia told the hospital of their first marriage in the 1970s. "We divorced in a year but maintained contact over the years."

Though they stayed in touch, the pair went on to live mostly separate lives until five years ago, when they finally reconnected after Patricia left Eddie a note on social media.

"Happy Birthday to my favorite ex-husband," she wrote. The statement was enough to get Eddie — who lived in California — to pay Patricia a visit, the hospital wrote.

After visiting family on the east coast, Eddie stopped in Las Vegas and took Patricia out to dinner. It didn't take long for the couple to rekindle their romance.

In 2017, Eddie sold his home in California and moved to Las Vegas to live with Patricia. While they had decided to spend the rest of their lives together, Patricia told MountainView that they "never really thought about getting married (again)."

That is until Eddie fell ill and ended up in the ICU. After receiving a cancer diagnosis in October, he contracted COVID-19 and developed a bacterial pneumonia infection, according to the hospital.

On Jan. 24, Eddie asked Patricia to marry him. Two days later, they were standing before an officiant saying their vows.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Though they hadn't been able to see each other in person since Eddie's coronavirus diagnosis, the hospital staff was able to get the green light to allow Patricia inside the ICU for their nuptials.

Dressed in full PPE, Patricia was able to enter the hospital room, which was decorated with beautiful flowers. Wedding music played as the couple became husband and wife once again.

Just two days later, Eddie died "with his family by his side," the hospital wrote.

"We've had five wonderful years," Patricia said.