While Waiting For A New Heart, This Omaha Man Received An Unexpected Surprise

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While Waiting For A New Heart, This Omaha Man Received An Unexpected Surprise

An Omaha man never would have met the love of his life had he not been in dire need of a new heart.Bill Corey was fighting for his life in a hospital bed at Nebraska Medicine when he met Deb, a patient care technician."They actually bypassed the left side of my heart with a pump-mechanical pump that was put inside of me called an LVAD," he explained.Because Bill spent all his time cooped up in his hospital room, it didn't take long before he and Deb became fast friends."We became friends, talked about families, just the things that were going on with him," Deb told 6 News.Debbie Lewis via TODAYMegan, Mandy, and Lacey, Deb's three daughters, all worked on Bill's floor as well, so it was clear to them right away that Bill had a huge crush on their mom."I always knew that he had an ulterior motive when he came up to us, he was looking for my mom and wanted to know where she was in the least creepy way possible," laughed Deb's daughter. "It was really sweet."Sadly, when the pair's budding romance first began, doctors were telling Bill that a long life was likely not in the cards for him.According to TODAY, one of the major problems in Bill's case was that his heart was deteriorating at an alarming rate, but doctors had no idea why.While Bill was admitted to the hospital in 2014, all his prayers were answered two years later, when he finally received a life-saving heart transplant.Debbie Lewis via TODAYShortly after it became clear that Bill wasn't going anywhere, Deb's daughters began pressuring her to give Bill her number."My youngest kept telling me, "˜give him your phone number' and I said, "˜I will' and she just kept telling me "˜if you don't I'm going to,'" said Deb, who is divorced, while Bill is widowed.Almost immediately after they began dating, Bill and Deb knew they were meant to be."Neither one of us was looking for it, so it's meant to be right?" said Bill. "God put her there for a reason."The pair are now engaged and plan on tying the knot in September, in front of all their friends and family."I'm totally surprised, but I couldn't be happier," Deb gushed. "I had no intentions of ever getting married again, ever, and I think he felt the same way."TODAY"It is a whole new chapter," Bill added.As for the couple's future plans, Deb says she and Bill plan on savoring every moment they have together."You owe me 50 years. That's what I want," Deb told her husband-to-be."I'll give them to her if I can," he replied.