Bride-to-Be Survives Rare Pregnancy Complication, Marries in Hospital

In August 2025, Shannon Hackett, 40, and Bernard "Bern" Clark, 44, were just days away from their wedding in Tulsa, Oklahoma when they faced an unimaginable tragedy. The couple had planned to surprise their guests with the news that they were expecting identical twin boys conceived through IVF.

However, on August 16th, Shannon was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain when she was 14 weeks pregnant. Doctors were unable to determine the cause, but an aneurysm in one of the arteries feeding her uterus was about to rupture. The next morning, the aneurysm burst, causing Shannon to lose a massive amount of blood and go into cardiac arrest. She required two rounds of CPR, 64 units of blood, and three emergency surgeries, including a C-section and hysterectomy. Tragically, the couple's twin boys, John and William, did not survive.

Against all odds, Shannon pulled through, with doctors calling her survival "nothing short of miraculous." Just days after the harrowing ordeal, the couple decided to move forward with their wedding plans, tying the knot in the hospital's labor and delivery wing. Nurses decorated the room and even attended the ceremony, as Shannon and Bern declared their love and resilience in the face of unimaginable heartbreak.

Now, the couple is focusing on healing and pursuing their dream of parenthood through surrogacy, with the support of friends, family, and strangers who have contributed to their GoFundMe campaign. Their journey has been marked by both tragedy and triumph, but their determination to overcome the odds and build a family together remains unwavering.