What Jill Hadad Hawkins believed would be the most special day of her life turned into a nightmare.On the morning of her wedding day, she was overly excited, just as any bride-to-be. But Jill could hardly stand on her feet because of the severe pain in her stomach.

Thinking it was just the usual pre-wedding nerves, she convinced herself she should proceed with the day. And she did exactly that. She put a smile on her face, hoping that the pain would eventually go away. But sadly, not only she didn’t feel any better, but the pain became even more severe.

She somehow managed to go down the aisle and say “I do,” but just after the wedding reception, she was taken to the hospital.

During her teen years, Jill had undergone several major surgeries for treating ulcerative colitis, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers (sores) in your digestive tract.

Mayo Clinic explains that this autoimmune condition “affects the innermost lining of your large intestine, also called the colon, and rectum. In most people, symptoms usually develop over time, rather than suddenly.”

However, Jill believed that her condition was cured with the surgeries, and she didn’t even think that the pain she experienced was caused by that.

Once at the hospital, she had undergone an emergency procedures. The doctor who treated her, Dr. James Yoo, chief of colorectal surgery at Tufts Medical Center, explained that Jill had a twist in her intestines that cut off the blood supply. “She could have died from that,” he told WCVB.

He further said that “Nothing could have precipitated this. I think it was just bad luck,” and added she will “live happily ever after.”

Speaking of this experience and the health scare that had gone through on her special day, Jill told WCVB, “It’s really hard to come to terms with the fact that I could have died on my wedding night. But that’s the reality.”

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