What was supposed to be a waterfront wedding at Marina Village turned into something no one in the Cook family ever expected. San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Garrett Cook and his fiancée, Vera, exchanged vows inside the cardiac unit at Sharp Memorial Hospital on Sunday, just days after Cook surviv ed a sudden medical emergency. Friends, family, and members of his medical team crowded into a hospital family lounge that was transformed into an impromptu wedding venue. The celebration almost didn’t happen at all. Cook says he was trying on his tuxedo days before the wedding when he suffered a sudden cardiac emergency. He was rushed to the emergency room at Sharp Memorial Hospital, where the medical team saved his life. “When you talk about coming out of left field, this was definitely not expected,” Cook said. NBC 7 Cook said in the days leading up to the wedding, his condition wasn’t great. He could barely walk and struggled to breathe. He underwent heart surgery. Despite the unusual circumstances, he was determined that nothing would stand in the way of marrying the love of his life. “As long as I was conscious, I was going to get married,” Cook said. “She is the best thing that I could have ever asked for in my life,” Cook added. The 27-year-old sheriff’s deputy has worked for the department’s traffic division for the last three and a half years. Thanks to the support of his colleagues, friends, and family, the wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. “Garrett’s biggest wish when he came out of surgery was to just marry his true love,” said Sharon Cook, Garrett’s mother. “His bride Vera is amazing and I’m so glad she’s going to be a part of the family from here on out.” NBC 7 Cook said his favorite thing about his bride is her unwavering patience and compassion, which have kept their relationship strong over the last four years. “Culminating to this and her being there for me throughout this happening which neither of us were really prepared for has just solidified how much she means to me,” Cook said. ...read more read less