A Miracle Wedding Walk with My Father — Thanks to WakeMed

October 6, 2026

dad taking first look of daughter at wedding

Categories: Stories, Raleigh Campus, Urology, Foundation

Sarah Baxt had imagined her father walking her down the aisle on her wedding day — a dream she cherished throughout her life. It wasn't until the moment nearly slipped away that she truly realized how much it meant to her.

Sarah met her life partner, and in time, they were engaged and scheduled to be married on August 15, 2026. Her mother and father flew to North Carolina from Florida days earlier to help prepare for their daughter's nuptials.

A Dad Determined to Live Life Fully

An especially heartfelt wedding awaited as Sarah's dad, Bob Baxt, had been battling stage 3 papillary renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) for two years. At 79 years old, leading a very active lifestyle, playing golf multiple times a week, he made the difficult decision to stop treatment for the cancer since it was negatively impacting his quality of life. Instead, he opted for periodic scans to monitor progression, so he could savor time with his family.

Along with his cancer diagnosis, Bob also had a history of kidney stones. He'd not dealt with one in some time and arrived for his daughter's wedding week feeling well and happy.

From Ready and Rested to Distress in a Matter of Moments

On August 12, the family sat down to watch the movie “Father of the Bride” at Sarah's request.

"About five minutes in," Sarah recalls, "he started saying his back was hurting but attributed it to sitting awkwardly on the couch, so he sat in a different seat. We didn’t think anything of it. His pain worsened despite taking pain relievers, so he went to lie down. My mom and I looked at each other and immediately knew what was likely going on — my dad had a kidney stone!"

Given the upcoming weekend events, Sarah and her mom suggested he head to the WakeMed Garner Healthplex Emergency Department. Bob declined, stating he'd improve with pain relievers and rest.

Coordinated Care that Progressed as Quickly as Bob Declined

The next morning, they insisted he go to the emergency department. To satisfy their request, he went though he wasn't feeling very poorly. After checking Bob in, WakeMed staff ran labs and ordered a computed tomography (CT) scan to check for kidney stones.

"He was sitting in his hospital bed, reading and waiting for the results when he started to complain that he was feeling chills," shares Sarah. "He wanted to lie down. He started to decline and began experiencing uncontrollable shivers and shallow breathing, with an altered mental status and fast heart rate."

The care team entered and swiftly began taking blood cultures since it was clear that he was not doing well. In the meantime, CT results came back showing a 21mm x 11mm obstructing kidney stone with hydronephrosis.

"The doctor told us that he was being transferred to WakeMed Raleigh Campus to have an emergency nephrostomy tube placed. He had urosepsis — a life-threatening form of sepsis, originating from a urinary tract infection (UTI) — with potential to rapidly cause organ failure if left untreated. He was also in septic shock, ultimately requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU)."

The Fear of a Bride Without Her Father

What should have been one of the happiest and most exciting days for Sarah and Bob soon became overwhelming.

Sarah explains, "As a nurse practitioner, I knew what this truly meant and began to sob as it was only two days before my wedding, and my dad was being sent for emergency surgery and going to be admitted to the hospital. My mom remained with him and suggested I go to the wedding hotel to be with family and friends that had flown in."

Sarah's biggest fear was that her dad would not recover in time to make it to her wedding and walk her down the aisle.

"He had been preparing his speech for my wedding for over a year, and suddenly, we weren't even sure if he would be well enough to attend."

Compassionate, Advanced Care with Hopes to Discharge Dad on Wedding Day

Bob had his procedure right away, but due to the sepsis, he was still very sick and hypotensive. As a result, he was admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) for treatment.

"When I received the phone call that he was being transferred to the MICU, I began to cry again because the severity of his sickness started to set in, making it clearer that he very well may miss my wedding."

Yet, the family was thankful for the exceptional care Bob received from several members of the care team. Nurse Bradi was kind and compassionate. MICU members, Kim, Joe, Camille and Shannon delivered consistent, around-the-clock, attentive care. Occupational therapist, Ali, and physical therapist, Carolyn, helped him return to normal activities and movement. Saad Khan, MD, a WakeMed critical care hospitalist, provided answers and offered assurance.

"I am grateful for the extraordinary care, compassion and dedication provided to my father during one of the most frightening and emotional weekends of our family’s lives. From the moment my dad was admitted, they all provided exceptional care. They were attentive to every detail, incredibly compassionate and consistently went above and beyond not only for my father, but for our entire family."

Throughout the frightening ordeal, the care team also kept Sarah and her family informed, answering their questions and providing reassurance during an incredibly stressful and uncertain time.

"I have a deep appreciation for excellent nursing care, and I was able to personally witness the skill, clinical judgment and genuine compassion all of these nurses demonstrated throughout my dad's hospitalization. They all worked tirelessly to get my dad stabilized and well enough to be discharged as quickly and safely as possible."

Accepting the Worst, Yet Longing for the Best

"By this point, we had already started to arrange for ways to have him virtually watch the ceremony and be able to give his speech via facetime as backup plans. Ultimately, I had to say goodbye to my dad on Friday afternoon, as I had wedding rehearsal and our welcome party that evening. I gave him a big hug not knowing if I would be seeing him the following day at my wedding."

Their care ultimately gave the family something they weren't sure would happen: the miracle of his presence on Sarah's special day.

A Loving Dad, A Topnotch Care Team and a Hopeful Bride

After he was released from the hospital on her wedding day, he arrived at the wedding venue just one hour before the ceremony began.

Dad seeing his daughter

"I will never forget coming down the stairs for our father/daughter first look and seeing him standing there. At the bottom of those stairs was the man who had been there for every moment of life – and after everything in the last 48 hours he had been through, he was there for this one too! He was able to walk me down the aisle, dance with me and deliver a speech that left not a single dry eye in the room."

dad at the wedding

Wedding Joy — Thanks to WakeMed

These incredible staff members may have been caring for Sarah's dad as a patient, but to their family, he was helping make it possible for a father to be there for his daughter on her wedding day! Their clinical expertise, compassion, attentiveness and dedication made a profound difference in all of their lives.

"I will forever be grateful to all of you for the care they gave my dad and for helping our family get my dad back when we needed him the most. Thank you so much to each and every one of you for taking such incredible care of my dad and for giving our family the gift of having him beside me on my wedding day!"

Sarah dancing with her dad

About WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Raleigh Campus is WakeMed's flagship facility and leading provider of advanced healthcare services. Since its founding in 1961, the WakeMed Raleigh Campus has been a leader in offering one-of-a-kind services and the latest technology with an outstanding commitment to care and caring. Services include:

Care & Services

Patients & Visitors

WakeMed Physician Practices