A Georgia couple didn’t let tragedy stop them from getting married after a chemical spill left the groom covered with burns covering 32 percent of his body.
Preston and Tanesha Cobb had been engaged since September 2022 and fully planned their July 22 wedding.
Unfortunately, those doubts were thrown into question when Preston — a decorated Iraq war veteran — slipped and fell on June 30 following a workplace chemical accident.
The tragic incident resulted in Preston losing nine toes and four fingers, with another four partially amputated.
That didn’t stop the pair from saying yes, however, as the couple tied the knot at the hospital thanks to helpful nurses, lending extra meaning to the “sickness and health” promise.
“Nothing would stop me from marrying him,” said Tanesha Cobb. ‘Nothing. I knew this day would come. I didn’t think it would be like this.’
A Georgia couple didn’t let tragedy stop them from getting married after a chemical spill left the groom covered with burns covering 32 percent of his body
After the accident, Preston had to be flown to the JMS Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.
Preston has had eight surgeries and still requires one a week to prepare for a skin graft, according to a GoFundMe medical bill support facility.
“I literally watched the skin on my elbow peel off and literally crumble and crumble to dust,” he said. “I literally felt like that was going to be the end.”
Preston had his fiancée, mother, two children and a stepchild by his side throughout his hospital stay, but was determined to ensure the wedding could still go ahead.
A burn center nurse, Mary Cook, overheard Preston and Cobb discussing their marriage and thought she would help. She and her fellow nurses set up food, flowers, a DJ and a wedding location for the couple at the hospital.
The couple was over the moon and immediately said yes to the ceremony.
“She said, ‘I have good news for you,’ said Preston Cobb. “And I thought, ‘What is this?’ and she said, “You’re going to get married on the 22nd.”
Preston and Tanesha Cobb had been engaged since September 2022 and fully planned their July 22 wedding
On June 30, Preston — a decorated Iraq war veteran — slipped and fell at work after a chemical accident
He had to be flown to the JMS Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta after the burial caused the burns to cover nearly a third of his body
The tragic incident resulted in Cobb losing nine toes and four fingers, with another four partially amputated
Preston was worried about Tanesha marrying him as the accident made him look very different from the person who proposed him.’
I was like, “Man, she’s not gonna want to marry me,” Preston said. “I’m not the same person who asked her to marry me.”
However, Tanesha was more determined than before to marry Preston.
“There’s nothing stopping me from marrying him,” she said. ‘Nothing. I knew this day would come. I didn’t think it would be like this.’
He’s had eight surgeries and still needs one a week to prepare for a skin transplant
A burn center nurse, Mary Cook, overheard Preston and Taneesha discussing their marriage and thought she would help them
Preston had his fiancée, mother, two children and a stepchild by his side throughout his hospital stay, but was determined to ensure the wedding could still go ahead
Cook said that after Tanesha said yes, Preston was determined to make their wedding day.
“I wanted to give him some positive out of all the negative,” she told Fox Carolina. “Preston insisted he would not change his wedding date.”
The wedding ceremony went smoothly after nurses escorted the Cobbs to the chapel.
“Although my condition hasn’t stopped me from marrying the woman of my dreams,” Preston said.