Texas couple weds at bedside of surviving preemie

FORT WORTH, Texas — This is the first time that a bride has walked down the aisle of this different kind of quiet sanctuary, where so many prayers have been said.

A mother and father became man and wife Tuesday afternoon inside the neonatal intensive care unit at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. They were bedside with their son, JJ, the ring bearer in a tuxedo onesie.

"It's not what you dream of as a little girl," said bride Kristi Nelson. "It's even better."

But this blissful occasion of two becoming one followed a wrenching loss in which two became one.

The newlyweds gave birth to twins on September 2, but one of the boys was stillborn.

JJ survived, but had arrived almost four months early and weighed in at just one pound, 13 ounces. His mother proudly pointed out he has tripled in size since.

"We thank God every day for JJ getting better and stronger," she said.

With severely under-developed lungs, JJ has remained in the NICU for eight long weeks. His parents have been there, too.

The Midlothian couple figured: What better place to make their love official than here?

"It's a big part of my day coming down here to see him," Kristi Nelson said. "The hardest part is leaving him and going back home."

Kristi and Justin Nelson hope that in the next month or so, they can take home their ultimate wedding gift — the precious product of a love that has already been tested.

Just before the groom kissed his new bride again, the two told us: "We're just stronger than we ever were. We can make it through anything."

The Nelsons say they will spend a few days together, but don't have the time or money to go on a full honeymoon yet. That will come later, they promise.

Getting their son home is the No. 1 priority right now.