Right Before Proposing He Fell Into a Coma
Right Before Proposing He Fell Into a Coma
After years of friendship in elementary school, a romance blossomed between Larry Ragsdale and Kelcie Yeoman in high school. In 2010, Larry decided that it was finally time to propose to Kelcie. However, the couple’s happy future was almost cut short after a tragic accident that made Larry go into a coma.
Larry had asked Kelcie’s father for permission to marry her. He was going to propose when they went on a trip to Disneyland in just a few days. Sadly, on a dark night in March of 2010, Larry was hit by a drunk driver. He was driving home after showing Kelcie’s sister the ring he was going to give to Kelcie. Kelcie was just behind him in another car, and saw the whole accident. She rushed to help him, but he was already unconscious.
The brain trauma from the accident made Larry go into a coma. At first, doctors said he might not even wake up. Kelcie remained by his side the entire time, and she was overjoyed when he woke up. However, it turned out that the months of being in a coma had harmed Larry’s brain. He could no longer move easily or walk normally.
This type of condition is unfortunately very common. Severe brain injuries can cause the brain to shut down while it is trying to recover. Sometimes a really injured person never wakes up. If they do wake up from the coma, there are many lingering effects. Even just speaking or eating can be difficult at first. It can take years for a coma patient to recover completely. Depending on what part of the brain was injured, a patient may always have trouble walking or thinking.
Instead of losing hope, Kelcie worked hard to help him recover. She accepted a job at the hospital Larry was at, so she could spend more time helping him. The road to recovery was very rough. Larry did not propose to Kelcie because he was worried about being a burden on her. Kelcie did not think that Larry was a burden though. She stayed with him through the whole difficult process.
After three years of recovery, Larry finally got to propose to Kelcie. He still had to use a wheelchair, but he could function normally. As “Marry Me” by Train played quietly in the background, Larry asked Kelcie to marry him. Of course, his devoted girlfriend immediately accepted.
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Kelcie’s sister felt bad that Larry did not get to do his original proposal plan at Disneyland. The sister started a fundraising campaign to send the happy couple on a trip to the popular theme park for their honeymoon. This online campaign started to go viral, and it eventually got the attention of Disney.
ABC News and Disney Fairy Tales Wedding and Honeymoons worked together to give the couple a Disney wedding. They got to stay in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse suite for a honeymoon after being married at the park. After being touched by their story, the band Train did a video performance at the couple’s reception. The band also gave the Ragsdales tickets for the cruise that Train will be performing on.
The Ragsdales are overwhelmed by the public support that their story created. They plan to use all leftover charitable donations to pay for more therapy for Larry. After going on the second honeymoon cruise, they hope to start their own family someday.