Bride dies during marriage's first dance

[Lunar_Wolf]

Sat Feb 9


DAVIE, Fla. - Kim Sjostrom wanted a real-life version of the film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which played in the background as friends fixed her hair and makeup before her own marriage ceremony.
But less than an hour after she and Teddy Efkarpides were wed, Sjostrom crumpled in her husband's arms during a Greek song that means "Love Me."
At 36, Sjostrom was dead from heart disease.
The wedding had became a project at Davie Elementary School, where Sjostrom taught first grade. Fellow teachers provided the wedding gown, the flowers and decorations. One of them, an ordained minister, performed the ceremony.
"It was perfect for her," said Dominic Church, the minister friend.
Sjostrom carried blue and white flowers during the ceremony — the colors of the Greek flag — as she exchanged vows with Efkarpides, a 43-year-old carpenter and Navy veteran. They had met three years to the day before the Jan. 19 wedding.
During the couple's first dance, Sjostrom complained of being lightheaded. Efkarpides thought his wife, a diabetic, needed sugar, but she collapsed.
Wedding guests, paramedics and doctors at a nearby hospital were unable to revive her.
She had a previous cardiac episode in her 20s and was a poster child — literally — for juvenile diabetes, relatives and friends said. Efkarpides recalled seeing the poster featuring her on New York subways.
He consoles himself by reading a list of "101 Reasons Why I Love You" that Sjostrom gave him their first Christmas together. "Number 1. You make me smile."
No. 98 is especially difficult: "You're the one I want to grow old with."

 

[Goshdarn Batman]

 

[Erzengel]

I heard about this. Extremely sad. Feel really bad for the groom and their families.

 

[Ice-man]

**** you god, if you do exist, how can you take a girl on her wedding day. =[


thats ****in terrible.

 

[StorminNorman]

My God, the extent to just how sad this is, how overly depressing, makes it almost comical.

This sounds to tragic to be true.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

The Irony of it is overwhelming. His happiest day has become his saddest. And she had everything taken away from her the moment she had achieved what she sought after.

It is terrible and my condolences, as empty as they are to all those involved.

 

[Malice]

Man this is so wrong...

 

[kane9321]

This is sooo sad..no words

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

i just saw this on yahoo news, really sad story. rip.

 

[Tempest19]

The world's fcked up. Kinda makes people wonder whose playing the 'Earth' game.

 

[Dark Donnie]

No. 98 is especially difficult: "You're the one I want to grow old with."

 

[jaguarr]

Horrible.

jag

 

[Rocker22]

That's terribly sad.

 

[redmarvel]

**** you god, if you do exist, how can you take a girl on her wedding day. =[


thats ****in terrible.

? She died happy. Granted, younger than most people, but at least she was happy. Perhaps she was spared from some even more horrible fate, like being kept on life support, unable to leave her bed for decades. We don't know.

This is truly sad for her family and friends. It would have been better if she had lived a long, healthy, happy life. However, I don't blame God for her death, knowing she had diabetes and the possibility of heart problems there are many precautions she could have taken.

 

[R0rschach]

Just sad...now imagine yourself being the groom..holy hell.

 

[CorpusBlack]

man, that's so f'd.

 

[batsone]

well she did spend the rest of her life in this world with the person she loved, some people live their whole lives searching for love and never find it.

but good god that is too damb bad

 

[Lantern Venom]

? She died happy. Granted, younger than most people, but at least she was happy. Perhaps she was spared from some even more horrible fate, like being kept on life support, unable to leave her bed for decades. We don't know.

This is truly sad for her family and friends. It would have been better if she had lived a long, healthy, happy life. However, I don't blame God for her death, knowing she had diabetes and the possibility of heart problems there are many precautions she could have taken.

I'm not blaming God here ( I don't want this to turn into a massive theological argument ) but if she had juvenile diabetes and heart problems beginning in her 20s, she could have taken every precaution and this still might have happened. Sometimes inherited problems can't be overcome. It sounds like her heredity was working against her. I hope she finds peace now and I hope the heartbroken husband can recover.

 

[Stotch]

What a time to go.....

 

[Cowleen]

well she did spend the rest of her life in this world with the person she loved, some people live their whole lives searching for love and never find it.

but good god that is too damb bad

QFT.

 

[Lord Valumart]

My God, the extent to just how sad this is, how overly depressing, makes it almost comical.

This sounds to tragic to be true.

it really does sound made up to be exploited for laughs...

 

[ang_hulk]

thats aweful.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Buck up everyone.
This was all a part of Jesus' beautiful plan for our lives.
It was a Learning Experience!

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

^^it was, they both experienced what true love was.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

But not what sex with the person you love is like...since we're not supposed to have sex until we get married.

They also might feel kind of gypped since, some people get married and get to experience all the facets of true love, for the rest of their ever-evolving lives...instead of learning it about via the contrast of losing it prematurely.