WakeMed ICU patient marries longtime girlfriend

After 42 years together, there was no more putting off getting married.

Joe Platt and Jackie Matthews tied the knot Friday in Platt's room in the intensive care unit at WakeMed Cary.

Hospital staff transformed his room into a chapel. The hospital chaplain performed the ceremony, and doctors filled the roles of best man and giving away the bride.

Platt has a terminal respiratory illness, but he's now in stable condition. So, he was determined to get the marriage matter settled.

"It was just time," he said. "We thought about it. It was time. It was time to make the change."

Platt will soon be released to another care facility, and Matthews will be by his side.