Two patients’ encounter in a hospital in November 2018 while they were recovering from similar traumatic injuries blossomed into friendship and romance. 

Zach Zarembinski was 18 when he suffered a brain bleed and collapsed on the sidelines of a football game, Fox News (FN) reports. He was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. 

In the meantime, Isabelle Richard suffered a head injury in a car accident and was brought to the same hospital. Both were briefly comatose with Zach waking up first and comforting Isabelle’s family. When Isabelle awoke from her coma, the two spoke briefly and took a photo together, according to FN. 

Recalling their love story on the FN Channel segment, “America’s Newsroom,” on 26 November, Zach said six years had passed since their discharge before they met again and began dating. He recently convinced Isabelle to return to Regions Hospital to film an episode for their podcast, “Hope in Healing,” the New York Post reported.

There, in the place where they first met in 2018, Zach proposed marriage to Isabelle, who promptly said “yes,” according to FN. 

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Huang Zhongcheng from Hengyang in Hunan province, southern China, got married faster than Zarembinski and Richard. 

Huang went on a blind date with a beauty salon worker on 21 August after nine matchmakers said she was a good match for him, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports. 

During their four-hour date, the single mom reportedly insisted that they get married right away. Huang agreed and they registered their marriage after that first meeting. 

“Everything happened so quickly. I was in a daze the entire day. I even told her, ‘Today feels like a dream,’” Huang told Hunan Broadcasting System, according to SCMP. 

After two days of being together, she started asking for money to buy things, including a computer for her daughter. 

“We met on a blind date on 21 August and by 8 September — less than a month later — she had already spent it all,” he said, referring to his savings of 240,000 yuan. 

Huang’s travail spilled over to Chinese social media and instigated a viral discussion, with one commenter advising him to file a case against the nine matchmakers for scamming him.