ARCADIA >> It was supposed to happen at a wedding chapel in Los Angeles, not in a hospital room.
When Omar Elhosseiny’s body began attacking itself a month ago, causing almost complete paralysis, every plan he and fiancee Osiris Negrete had made was put on hold.
But the couple saw a glimmer of hope Sunday when Omar regained the ability to speak, although words often have to be forced past the breathing tube in his throat. Buoyed by the development, the couple exchanged marriage vows Monday afternoon in Methodist Hospital of Southern California’s intensive care unit.
“It’s a blessing,” Omar, 26, said Monday evening.
“It’s a blessing he’s still here,” said the new Mrs. Elhosseiny, 23, holding her husband’s hand.
Omar and Osiris met five years ago when he was a cadet and she was a youth advocate at the Pasadena Police Department. As they rose up in the ranks — he to patrol officer and she to dispatcher — they inevitably spent more time with each other and have been a couple for the past two years.
He tends to be reserved and enjoys video games. She’s outgoing and loves to shop. He likes to say she dispatched him to her house when she invited him over for homemade enchiladas on their first date.
The rest, she said, is history.
The couple was set to marry July 10. They had his tuxedo, her dress, and were set to go on their honeymoon immediately after.
Instead, Osiris has been using that time off to spend her time by Omar’s side.
Sudden illness
On the morning of June 29, Omar woke up to find he couldn’t move. He fell out of bed trying to get up, and not long after he was in an ambulance en route to Methodist Hospital.
Omar imagined the call and wasn’t sure how a doctor could determine what was wrong with him: “26-year-old male, can’t stand up, no health conditions, no history of drinking or smoking,” he said Monday, mimicking his police officer persona.
Dr. Rajiv Philip almost immediately identified the cause as Guillain-Barre syndrome, an uncommon disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, in this case as a response to the presence of bacteria.
It’s unclear whether or not Omar will ever recover back to 100 percent of his faculties, Philip said, but he will likely recover the abilities to walk, talk and complete the basic activities of everyday life through intensive physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Omar will be transferred soon to a long-term care facility specializing in physical therapy, and Philip said he hopes the young man will walk back in to Methodist Hospital in a few weeks to show the progress he’s making.
“It’ll be amazing,” Philip said.
‘PD family’ support
With Omar going into long-term care, Osiris said now might be the right time for her to return to the Pasadena Police Department. Once he’s ready to go home, she’ll have to devote time to his care, but for now, work may be a welcome distraction.
She referred to the department as her “PD family,” in large part because of the outpouring of support the couple has received since Omar was admitted into the hospital.
The Pasadena Police Officers Association started a crowdfunding campaign on the GoFundMe website two weeks ago, and so far 273 people have donated a total of $27,785 to go toward Omar’s health care costs.
Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez said supporting one another is a hallmark of his police department.
“The natural inclination of a police officer is that you can fix things, and we want to fix this for the Elhosseiny family and Osi,” Sanchez said. “We have to trust that the medical doctors know exactly what they’re doing and support Omar, Osi and the Elhosseiny family as best we can.”
Sanchez praised both Osiris and Omar for being exceptional employees and said Omar is an exceptional patrol officer who is respectful of people’s rights and sensitive to their cultures and backgrounds.
Amal Elhosseiny, Omar’s mother, said the entire family couldn’t be prouder of him as a man and as a police officer.
“We have to trust that God will help us get through this time so Omar can get back to his new wife and to the community he used to serve,” Amal Elhosseiny said.
