Couple tie the knot after the groom's double lung transplant

Double lung transplant survivor Tony Dyer has beaten the odds to marry his sweetheart Sophie Bray.

The couple, who live in Hilsea, said their vows at the Portsmouth Register Office and celebrated at the Irish Club in Southsea, which is where Tony went down on one knee to propose last April.

Tony, 32, who had to go back into hospital the day after the wedding, said: ‘Everyone looked great and it was beautiful.

‘We had our marriage blessed at the hall which meant a lot. I don’t think we would have been able to do it without the help and support of so many people.’

Sophie, 24, said: ‘We only had 40 days to plan it, so considering that it went really well.

‘It had a sentimental touch because that was where we got engaged.

‘We’re lucky to have such good friends.’

Tony was born with cystic fibrosis – a condition that causes the lungs and digestive system to become clogged with thick sticky mucus.

He had the transplant last June and he has been in and out of hospital since then.

Sophie said Tony got a fungal infection in his pleural cavity after the operation and doctors said he was unlikely to survive.

She said: ‘They got the end-of-life team to come and see us.’

But then Tony made a recovery which Sophie said was ‘miraculous’.

She said: ‘He started treatment and they managed to clear it.

‘But now the fear is that it has come back.

‘The doctors actually wrote a paper on him because they haven’t cured anyone from that except Tony. He’s a bit of a medical miracle.’

Tony had to return to Harefield Hospital in London the day after the wedding after he started to feel poorly.

He said: ‘Basically I couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t even get up to walk.

‘I called for help and they said to get an ambulance to Queen Alexandra Hospital, and then I was transferred back to Harefield.’

Sophie said: ‘They are still running a lot of tests. It might be an infection or virus.’

Tony said he was not sure when he would be able to come home, but is thankful for the great memories he now has from the wedding day.

He said: ‘Looking back on the all the photos and the comments is wonderful.

‘It’s just sad that I haven’t been able to spend that time with my wife.’