After Heart Transplant, New York Mom Finds Love in Cardiac Unit on Valentine's Day: 'Don't Ever Give Up' (Exclusive)
“When you get a second chance at life, you learn not to waste it,” says Christine Paul
Courtesy of Christine and Kendell Paul
Christine & Kendell PaulChristine and Kendell Paul were both cardiac patients when they met on Valentine's Day in 2022 in a New York hospital
Although they hit it off, they were in other relationships at the time; months later they were single and went on a first date
They got married in December 2024 and "have been inseparable ever since"
Christine Paul remembers her thoughts in April 2018 as she walked out of the hospital's cardiology unit following a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant. Although her life had been extended — the LVAD was now helping her heart pump blood — she was worried. “Who’s going to love me?" she recalls. "Nobody."
At 37 years old, the graduate student from Queens, New York, feared she would end up alone.
“When you’re sick, you imagine, ‘I’m going to find someone, they’re going to fall in love with me — and then they might end up losing me — or they might end up my caretaker.' And who’s going to want that?"
The LVAD ended up being a temporary solution to her heart issues. She'd known since she was 29 that she had genetic cardiomyopathy and would eventually need a heart transplant. In May 2021 she had the procedure at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York.
But nearly a year later in February 2022, Christine ended up back in the cardiothoracic ICU with an infection after having pneumonia.
Courtesy of Christine and Kendell Paul
Christine & Kendell PaulWhile she recovered, a nurse practitioner asked Christine if she would chat with another patient. Although it happened to be Valentine's Day, the request was not unusual: Christine often talked to other patients who were getting LVADs or heart transplants to offer support and encouragement.
“It's important to share your story with others because you never know where you can help, you never know where you could lift someone's spirit, put a smile on their face," Christine, now 44, says. "The littlest thing can help you get through something."
That was her mindset as she walked into the room of Kendell Paul, who was getting his own LVAD device. The first thing she noticed was his height — and how well it matched her own. She's 6'1" and he's 6'3".
She learned more about Kendell's story. A plumber, he had noticed he was getting short of breath climbing stairs. He thought he had Covid but soon learned the symptoms were caused by an enlarged heart — he was in heart failure. He admitted to Christine that he was nervous about getting his LVAD.
Courtesy of Christine and Kendell Paul
Christine and Kendell PaulThe two continued talking and discovered they had a lot in common: They are both parents to two boys, and their youngest sons are both named Noah.
They exchanged numbers but were in other relationships. After being discharged, they would occasionally text or have short phone calls to offer each other support.
By November of that year, their lives had changed. They were both single, so Kendell suggested they go out to dinner. Their first date was on Dec. 2, 2022.
“We’ve been inseparable ever since,” Christine says. “Everything just fit.”
Over time they learned about more similarities between them. Kendell was born in Trinidad, and so was Christine's mother. They love trivia and quizzing each other about state capitals. They enjoy traveling and have visited Houston, New Orleans, Atlantic City and Trinidad and Tobago.
All the while, their lives were becoming more intertwined. She drove him to work. They split bills and accompanied each other to doctor's appointments (Kendell might need a heart transplant in the future). Then they moved in together.
Courtesy of Christine and Kendell Paul
Christine and Kendell PaulRelated: Married Couple Met at Hospital Where Both Received Heart Transplants on Same Day: 'Felt a Spark'
Kendell says he appreciates Christine's personality and how smart she is. “She’s the yin to my yang,” he says. She’s talkative, he’s quiet. “She rarely puts stuff off until tomorrow — like I tend to do. It helps to have someone like that. She’s very caring. She’s very thoughtful.”
Christine knew how special he was as well. "I met someone who cares about me, who makes me feel like I’m the only girl in the room.”
Kendell wanted to get married right away. "What are we waiting on?” he says. He felt like they were already married. "I was like, 'We're wasting time.'"
She recalls feeling the same. “Everything just intertwined tight and quick,” she says.
They got married on December 8, 2024.
"It was such a beautiful day," Christine says. “What I’ll remember the most was when we said our vow: ‘In sickness and in health.'
"What two people understand what that means [more than we do]?"
While either one of them could get sick, Kendell says it can happen to any couple, in any relationship. “So, if it feels right – do it, Don’t be scared.”
Because of Kendell's health, he can no longer work as a plumber. He went back to school and became a certified phlebotomist and EKG technician, and now works as a patient care tech at a rehab hospital. Christine works for the non-profit LiveOnNY, advocating for organ donation and helping families decide to donate organs.
They spend all their time together and share everything. They have the same passwords on their phones. “There’s no hiding,” Christine says. “We cook together, we clean together, there’s nothing we do apart." She works from home on his days off work. He sits beside her, while she works.
Courtesy of Christine and Kendell Paul
Christine and Kendell PaulTheir entire healthcare team at North Shore University Hospital is thrilled — and tickled that the meet-cute happened on Valentine's Day.
“We just couldn’t be happier for them,” says their advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist, Dr. Lauren B. Cooper, Director of Heart Failure, Northwell Health North Shore University Hospital.
“To find new love, and a new relationship — it’s really why we do this — because we want people to have that. We take care of the sickest of the sick to hope that at the end, they will come to the clinic and talk about their vacations and their grandchildren and the lives that they’re living," she says.
"Not many people get LVADS and not many people get transplants — and so for them to have found support in each other and now live this life together is really inspiring.”
Read the original article on People
