A bride who endured a crocodile attack that took her arm just days before her wedding did not let it stop the ceremony, which took place in a Zimbabwean hospital where she was recovering.
Zanele Ndlovu and her fiance Jamie Fox were canoing on the Zambezi river on April 30 when Ndlovu was attacked, losing her right arm and injuring her left hand, Time reported. The couple married five days later.
Fox reportedly punched the crocodile repeatedly to try to get it to let go of Ndlovu, but instead it rolled away from them, taking her arm with it, The Telegraph reported. The crocodile was later shot while sunbathing after a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority ranger identified its bruises and behavior.
The crocodile first burst the couple’s inflatable vessels with its teeth before attacking Ndlovu, The Telegraph reported.
“I know people feel pity for me but being sorrowful does not help the situation,” Ndlovu-Fox said, The Telegraph reported. Her friends and relatives were able to watch the wedding service by video link from Busters Sports Club in Bulawayo where it had been originally planned. A reception was then held at Busters while Ndlovu-Fox remained in the hospital for another 24 hours.
“It is a miracle she is here, there is no other way to explain it,” the groom said, according to The Telegraph. “I never even at one point thought of calling off the wedding. I love her even more and this incident made me feel even more the deep feeling behind our vows.”
The couple plans to live in the U.K. as soon as the paperwork can be finalized.
“For better or worse, in sickness and health, that’s just how it’s going to be,” he said.
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