SAN DIEGO - Just 10 days after he underwent a heart transplant, a 46-year-old man married his fiancée on Sunday at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Manuel Franciso was diagnosed in August with a condition in which a virus attacks the cardiac muscle and, when his condition worsened, he was admitted to the hospital in late January, according to Sharp Healthcare.
He was placed on a transplant list Feb. 8.

Hospital officials said Francisco and fiancée Diane Sobreo planned to get married in the hospital, but a donor heart became available and he underwent surgery Feb. 26.

Although he is still recovering, Francisco and Sobreo decided to follow through with their plans and tie the knot at the hospital, with their caregivers in attendance, according to Sharp HealthCare officials.

When asked how it feels to be married, Sobreo said, "Very exciting. We can't believe it, you know, we made it here."

Franciso added, "I feel new again."

Plans for a honeymoon are postponed while Franciso continues to recover.

"Our love is getting stronger and stronger every day," said Sobreo. "We made it through for each other with the support of friends and family and Sharp Hospital… We made it through."