Daniel Phan was in heart failure and days from lifesaving surgery when he and his girlfriend, Julia, decided to get married — in the ICU.
They first met as children after Daniel’s parents hired Julia’s mom to work at their nail salon. “We were the same age. I went to her house when I was, like, eight years old, not knowing she was going to be my future wife,” Daniel told Healthline. The two drifted apart for several years, reconnected on Facebook after college in 2014, and began dating in 2023 when they were in their early 30s. “I reached out because I saw [on Facebook] that she was at a concert and I love concerts, so I asked her if she wanted to go to a concert with me,” Daniel said. About a year into dating they talked about marriage, but Daniel’s health took a turn.
When Daniel was 11 he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and struggles to pump blood. His older sister also has the condition, and their mother carried the genetic mutation. Soon after his diagnosis he received a pacemaker. “I was excluded from many activities like sports,” he said. Playing guitar and drums became an outlet, and he made it through high school without major incidents. In his early 20s he had episodes after overexerting himself and ended up in the emergency room.
In 2024 he began experiencing arrhythmias even without exertion. On January 15, 2025, while watching TV, he had an intense arrhythmia that left him dizzy and vomiting. He called 911 and spent a week in the ER in Gainesville Northeast Georgia before being transferred to Piedmont Heart in Atlanta, where he initially hoped to receive a transplant.
Circumstances prevented a transplant at that time, and Daniel received a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). Sagar Damle, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Piedmont Heart, explained that LVADs are recommended when heart failure is refractory to medical therapy. “In this situation, the heart is too weak to adequately pump blood to the entire body, and patients have worsening heart failure. They usually have significant symptoms, such as shortness of breath with activity, fatigue, and tiredness,” he told Healthline. When medications no longer work, LVADs — and sometimes transplant — are the next steps.
The LVAD functions like a pump, drawing blood from the left ventricle and sending it to the body through the aorta. “In a nutshell, it effectively functions as the patient’s own left ventricle,” Damle said. “Since most patients who have heart failure have predominantly left ventricular failure, LVADs work very well in that scenario.”
Before the LVAD surgery, Daniel asked Julia to marry him. “While I was in the hospital, I said, ‘Do you want to marry me?’ She was there every day. It was a huge commitment for her, and we already knew we wanted to be married,” he said. Julia said yes. “He handed me his mother’s ring, and it fits perfectly,” she told Healthline.
On January 29, 2025, the couple married in the ICU, with an uncle officiating and about a dozen family members and friends gathered around Daniel’s bed and the machines. “We had like 12 or 13 people surrounding Daniel’s bed and around the machines too,” Julia said. “We always joke about how our wedding costs the most, surrounded by expensive machines.”
The next day Julia went to the courthouse to secure their marriage license, which allowed Daniel to obtain coverage for the LVAD surgery under her insurance. “Time was ticking. Daniel was on life support, and the doctors were telling us, ‘the longer you are on life support, the worse you’re going to get,’ and we had to come to a decision,” she said. On February 5, 2025, Daniel underwent surgery to receive an Abbott HeartMate 3 LVAD.
Recovery was difficult. Being on life support required an additional surgery to repair a damaged vein. “I was super fatigued, still recovering, I could barely walk to my driveway without being out of breath,” Daniel said. Several months of physical therapy improved his strength and endurance; he estimates he’s about 80–85% recovered. “Going up the stairs before the LVAD, I’d need to stop and take a breath. Now I can go upstairs, and I’m a little tired, but I’m confident because I can see the numbers on LVAD, and I know I’m good. If anything happens, I know the LVAD is doing its job.”
Daniel keeps the option of a future transplant open but has faith in his recovery and the device. “Who knows, five years from now, the LVAD technology could be even more advanced,” he said. “[Hopefully] my heart recovers; it’s really rare, but that’s what I believe in. I believe in God, and I’ve seen miracles happen.” Damle noted that LVADs are often used in patients who are too sick for transplant or who have contraindications; some patients can stay on LVAD support for years while becoming better candidates for transplant.
Today, Daniel and Julia are doing their best to live fully within their circumstances and hope to start a family. “I’m just really glad that he’s on his feet and he hasn’t had any bad symptoms or any episodes,” Julia said. “It’s been over a year now that he’s had his LVAD, and we’ve actually really managed life. Life looks different, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, honestly.”
Julia credits her support role with deep meaning and has started helping others through Abbott’s Care Partner Ambassador Program. “I love the wording of care partner because…I was trying to be a wife and a caregiver,” she said. “Being able to listen to other people’s stories and knowing that these people aren’t just caregivers, they are very meaningful in patients’ lives, is [rewarding].”
Daniel echoed gratitude for Julia’s support. “She’s done everything for me,” he said. The couple says the challenges they’ve faced together have made life more meaningful, and their ICU wedding remains a powerful reminder of commitment in the face of crisis.
