Andrew Mackenzie praises his wife and says, "I never would've made it without her."
Virginia couple, 58-year-old Andrew Mackenzie and 54-year-old Kristy met with an accident on June 19 while returning home from a family celebration on Father’s Day while visiting their youngest daughter. A car collided with his motorcycle and the couple had an almost fatal accident that landed them in the emergency room. When Andrew regained consciousness in a hospital bed, the couple realized they had another challenge up ahead because Andrew thought it was 1993. "He knew me but I could see him looking through me," Kristy told PEOPLE. "I tell you, that's the scariest day of my life. Seeing him look through me like that, I didn't know how I was going to get him back."
The doctors weren’t certain if his memory of the past 29 years had gone forever. Kristy also had no idea that not only her husband would recover but he would fall in love with her all over again and they would renew their wedding vows in the presence of their children and grandchildren. “I want to marry this man again,” Kristy had a singular thought in her head as she observed her husband lying on the hospital bed in a condition that concerned everyone.
Kristy and Andrew met during a camping trip in June 1984 when Kristy was a high school junior and they tied the knot on March 31, 1985. They credit their unwavering love for one another for keeping them alive and giving them a reason to live.
Their long and happy marital life came to an abrupt halt when the couple met with a freak accident. Andrew suffered a concussion, two broken T- vertebrae in his back, and broke his left pelvis bone, his left scapula, five ribs, and his nose as well. After getting airlifted to University Hospital in Charlottesville, Andrew underwent emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding. Kristy also sustained a mild concussion, broken back, hip, seven ribs, and left scapula along with a damaged shoulder. She was sent to a local hospital instead and didn’t require surgery.
Kristy rushed to see her husband as soon as the hospital employees removed her breathing tube. "All I wanted was to be with him and see him," she said.
After regaining consciousness, the nurse asked Andrew the current date and year to which his reply was "1993." Kristy admits that "the crash was the worst" of all the rough patches the couple had been through together. After the hospital staff relented and finally allowed the couple to move into the same room, Andrew’s memory miraculously came back. A sentimental Kristy texted one of her best friends who was at the couple's wedding in 1985: "When this mess is over," she wrote, "I'm marrying this man again."
It's the stuff of movies, and Andrew and Kristy say the power of their love got them through the devastating results of a near-fatal car crash.https://t.co/OE5CDgMlSi
— 9Honey (@9HoneyAU) November 11, 2022
"I never would've made it without her," Andrew said to the news outlet. "I've always said, 'You've got to have a purpose and hope in life.' And for me, the love of my life is Kristy. I go to work to provide and make things better for our kids and grandkids. I've got hope and purpose."
The couple spent 11 days at the hospital and another 11 days at the rehab facility before returning home on July 10. Andrew made a decision to propose to his wife once again during their annual family beach vacation in North Carolina’s Outer Banks in August. The pair tied the knot once again on August 29, renewing their wedding vows in front of their children and grandchildren. The ceremony was even more special for them because their son-in-law officiated the wedding.
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/couple-renews-vows-after-crash-memory-loss-real-life-love/
Cover Image Source: Kristy Riggleman Mackenzie / Facebook
