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| Heart transplant recipients Ham Eun-ji, 28, left, and Choi Jae-won, 34, will tie the knot this Sunday, according to Asan Medical Center. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Ham Eun-ji, 28, and Choi Jae-won, 34, a couple sharing an unusual bond ― have gotten a second chance at life because of heart transplants ― will tie the knot this Sunday, according to Asan Medical Center in Seoul, where a significant part of their story unfolded.
Ham was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) at the age of 13, a rare and life-threatening disease with a prevalence of one in 100,000 children. The heart muscle disease caused her heart chambers to thin and stretch, making transplantation the best option.
Although she was able to find a matching donor, Ham could not afford to get the surgery she urgently needed immediately.
Fortunately, Im Yu-mi, a nursing professor at Dankook University, who was then working as a nurse at the medical center, offered to help Ham to look for ways to receive monetary donations. Thanks to Im's dedication, Ham successfully underwent a heart transplant operation.
After the surgery, she actively shared her transplant journey via an online community for heart disease patients, offering support for those who need information when receiving a transplant.
And that is where Ham met Choi, who was also a member of the online community.
Choi was battling cardiomegaly and had to rely on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and a portable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to circulate blood, while he desperately waited for a heart transplant. In 2021, Choi finally received a heart transplant at Gachon Gil Medical Center.
That year, Choi asked Ham out to thank her for her unwavering support and advice throughout his whole treatment process. And have since been dating for nearly two years as their bond of understanding and shared experience grows stronger.
"It's especially difficult for women suffering from heart diseases to talk about marriage. I wish they can get some hope by seeing how I got married and am living a healthy life with my family, just like everyone else," Ham said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
The bride-to-be also said she has registered as an organ donor, hoping to give other people a second chance at life someday.
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