Couple Marries at Medical Center Before Groom's Heart Transplant

Adam Carnes and his partner Salem fast-tracked their wedding just hours before Carnes' life-saving surgery.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 3:20pm

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A ghostly, translucent X-ray image of a human heart, glowing with an inner light against a dark background, conceptually representing the life-saving heart transplant that allowed the couple to marry before the surgery.The gift of a new heart gives a couple a second chance at life together.Boston Today

After learning that a heart transplant match was available, 44-year-old Adam Carnes and his partner Salem fast-tracked their wedding to just hours before Carnes' scheduled surgery at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. With the help of the hospital staff, the couple was able to have a small but meaningful ceremony in a converted meditation room before Carnes underwent the life-saving heart transplant procedure the next morning.

Why it matters

Heart transplants are critical but rare procedures, with only about 3,000 people nationwide awaiting a heart transplant at any given time. This story highlights the compassion of the medical staff in helping the couple get married before the surgery, as well as the selflessness of the donor family whose loved one's heart was able to give Carnes a second chance at life.

The details

Carnes had been living with heart failure since his 20s, and his condition had deteriorated to the point where a heart transplant was his only remaining option. When a match became available, the hospital informed the couple that Carnes' surgery was scheduled for the next morning - the same time they had planned to get married. With the help of the Tufts Medical Center staff, including a nurse who was ordained and a photographer with wedding experience, the couple was able to have a small ceremony in a converted meditation room just hours before Carnes' transplant surgery.

  • On April 6, 2026, Carnes was informed that a heart transplant match was available.
  • The wedding ceremony took place just hours before Carnes' scheduled surgery on April 7, 2026 at 10 a.m.

The players

Adam Carnes

A 44-year-old man who had been living with heart failure since his 20s and was awaiting a heart transplant.

Salem

Carnes' partner, who helped fast-track their wedding plans to occur just before his transplant surgery.

Tufts Medical Center

The hospital in Boston where Carnes underwent his heart transplant surgery and where the couple's impromptu wedding ceremony was held.

Cameron Upham

A registered nurse at Tufts Medical Center who was ordained and helped coordinate the couple's wedding ceremony.

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What they’re saying

“They said, 'Well, we have good news and bad news,' I said, 'Well what bad news?' They said, 'Oh, well, you're going to have to figure out a different plan for your wedding because the good news is we've accepted a heart for you. Your OR (operating room) time is tomorrow at 10 a.m.' That's when we were having our wedding.”

— Adam Carnes

“I was gobsmacked.”

— Salem, Carnes' partner

“When I saw it decorated, I was like, 'Oh, wow, this is amazing.' We had a bluetooth speaker set up so we could play some songs. They really went out of their way to make it personal.”

— Adam Carnes

“His friends barely made it here in time. They were, like, changing into their clothes in the parking deck or something.”

— Salem, Carnes' partner

“It is the yin and the yang of this. They're going through immeasurable grief, I'm sure, losing their loved one, but their loved one is getting to give this final gift. Just thank you for letting him go forward, and letting this love story go forward, and giving him a second chance at life.”

— Cameron Upham, Registered nurse at Tufts Medical Center

What’s next

Carnes is now back at home in recovery, and doctors continue to monitor his progress following the successful heart transplant surgery.

The takeaway

This story demonstrates the compassion and dedication of the medical staff at Tufts Medical Center, who went above and beyond to help facilitate a meaningful wedding ceremony for Carnes and his partner just hours before his life-saving heart transplant. It also highlights the selflessness of the donor family whose loved one's heart gave Carnes a second chance at life.