When baby Lucas was born 24 weeks prematurely at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on October 28, he weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces. For weeks, Phil DeCarlos and Lilly Nguyen watched their little son fight to survive, spending every day by his bedside in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
“Some days were long and scary while other days were stable,” DeCarlos said. “We promised Lucas that every day we’re going to be here, so 65 days, 66 days, we’ve been here every day for our son.”
But as the holidays inched closer, DeCarlos made a huge decision on December 15.
“Something just clicked and I said, I am not waiting anymore. On that day, I went and got the ring.”
A few days later, as he was putting his plan together, he realized he needed some help.
“Phil asked if we could help him arrange a surprise engagement proposal to his girlfriend next to their newborn son’s isolette,” said Tina Babb, nursing manager in the NICU at the Pavilion for Women. “We were so touched by this request that our nurses quickly sprang to action to make this moment possible.”
But there was one problem – they didn’t have much time to prepare. The proposal would happen a few hours later. So, with the clock ticking, the nursing team worked with DeCarlos to prepare the room before Nguyen arrived for what she thought would be a family photo shoot with their son.
DeCarlos laid out the items – a white bib he decorated with hearts and roses, a diamond ring, a blanket to cover the isolette, and a cartoon caption that read, “Will you marry my Papa?” The caption was placed next to Lucas’ head and the diamond ring was attached to his bib with a posy.
When it was time to pop the question, the nurse opened the isolette. Nguyen leaned over, and seconds later, she tearfully said, “Yes!” Immediately, the room erupted in applause for the newly engaged couple.
“It was such an emotional moment for all of us,” said Pavilion for Women’s NICU clerical assistant Debra Staples, who gave the nurses a heads up about the surprise proposal a few hours in advance. “It was so nice to see our nurses and staff come together to make this happen for our patient family.”
The couple’s love story didn’t end there. DeCarlos and Nguyen got married on New Year’s Day in the Children’s Chapel at Texas Children’s with Chaplain Johnna Faber officiating the ceremony. More than 30 guests, including several of the nursing staff, witnessed the two exchange their vows.
But there was one special guest the couple wanted to include in their celebration. After the private ceremony, the couple went upstairs to the NICU to see Lucas, now 4 pounds 4 ounces, dressed up in a tuxedo fit for the occasion.
“We are grateful to have him be a part of our wedding,” Nguyen said. “We wouldn’t change it for the world. Our hope is that he gets stronger and can come home with us and one day we’ll be able to share these stories with him.”
Click here to watch KHOU’s video of the wedding ceremony.
