Pasadena police officer, diagnosed with rare disease, marries girlfriend in hospital room

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Omar and Osiris Elhosseiny's love story began at the Pasadena Police Department when he was only a cadet, and she was a youth advocate.

The young couple was less than a month away from their wedding day - she was 23 and he was 26 - when the groom was struck with a rare disease in June.

"I got up in the morning, and I could not get out of bed. I could only put my feet down, but I couldn't actually pick up my body," he said.

He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which paralyzed him.

"After the bacteria, the body just kept attacking the nervous system," said Osiris Elhosseiny.

The disease was a hard blow for them both.

"Watching movies one day and the next this...It's tough," she said, fighting back tears.

"I think we take life for granted. We take everything for granted, you know, brushing our teeth, the little things that at 26 all of a sudden you can no longer do," said Omar Elhosseiny.

He was under an induced coma for a few weeks. As soon as he woke up, the two didn't hesitate to move forward with their wedding - even if it meant marrying in a hospital room.

At the time, he could not even speak.

"She read the vows. I couldn't talk. I couldn't even sign. I had to sign with my mouth," he said. "I'm not marrying her for the wedding. I'm not marrying her for the big photos and the cake. I'm marrying her for who she is."

The Elhosseinys say they are strengthened by the support of family and friends at the police department where they first met. Omar is now a police officer, and Osiris is a dispatcher with the department.

The wedding took place at the Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, where the nurses helped put together the big day.

"It's just another test in life that we just have to surpass," he said.

The Pasadena Police Department is wishing Omar a full recovery, and the Police Officer's Association launched a GoFundMe page to help the couple with medical expenses. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/omarelhosseiny.