LARGO, Fla. — At 21 years old, Danny Tucker was feeling severe chest pains and wound up in the hospital. Very quickly doctors told him he was experiencing heart failure and that it was terminal. 

What You Need To Know

  • Danny Tucker was facing terminal heart failure at 21. A heart transplant saved his life

  • His sister sent her friend, HCA nurse Marisa Thompson, to check on him. Soon after meeting, the pair fell in love

  • Tucker and Thompson are getting married in Italy this April

  • Tucker received his transplant at HCA Florida Largo Hospital's Transplant Center

“I went into organ failure. All my organs started shutting down, and I was. I was dying," Tucker said. “I am lucky to be here.”

That was 2021, and now in 2025, not only is Tucker no longer in heart failure, he is getting ready to marry the love of his life.

“I love you," he said while holding the hand of Marisa Thompson in her grandparents Palm Harbor home.

In a way, their love found a way to conquer the terminal diagnosis Tucker was facing.

“The ways that a normal relationship progresses wasn't really happening at that pace, because everything was so life and death," said Thompson. "You live very differently when you're thinking about death as often as we have had to on our 20s.”

Before knowing Thompson, when Tucker received that terminal diagnosis, he said he really didn't have anyone to turn to. His sister, who lived in Texas, called up her friend who was a nurse to check on Tucker.

That nurse was Thompson.

“Being that he was so young, I just really felt like he needed to be seen by somebody else before going down (the) end-of-life care route," said Thompson.

Thompson helped Tucker get second opinions and more options than just looking at end-of-life care. In fact, she helped him get connected to doctors at HCA Florida Largo Hospitals Transplant Center.

But something unexpected happened during that chaotic time.

“I don’t know, I just kind of fell in love with her," said Tucker.

"From there, I mean, we were almost immediately inseparable," said Thompson.

They next met Dr. Andrew Boyle with HCA.

“It's rare for someone that young to need it," said Boyle, who is the advanced heart failure medical director at HCA Florida Largo Hospital. "Most patients who get heart transplants on average or in the 50s and 60s at this point in time."

Because of the severity of his diagnosis, Tucker was placed near the top of the heart transplant list. Within three months, a heart became available.

“I was kind of terrified to go in and not know if I was going to wake up or not," said Tucker.

The transplant was successful.

The pair have been together every since, getting engaged last year.

“April in Italy Amalfi coast," said Tucker, when asked about where they are getting married. “I found one person and I want to spend the rest of my life with her and start a family if we can. And I wouldn't have the chance to do any of this if it wasn't for her.”

“I went from being this girl that didn't think I ever wanted to be married, to not being able to picture my life any other way. So I'm I'm very excited to marry my best friend," said Thompson.