A trip meant to celebrate a new beginning has taken a sudden and serious turn. Just days after her wedding, a young bride suffered sudden liver failure during her honeymoon in Japan. Sarah Danh, a San Antonio labour and delivery nurse, has now been medically evacuated and is on her way back to Texas, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
From Wedding Joy to Sudden Illness
Sarah Danh, 27, and Luke Gradl, 28, had recently tied the knot on March 21 in Spring Branch, Texas. The wedding was a big moment for the couple, especially for Danh, who had spent over a year planning it. Soon after, they travelled to Tokyo for their honeymoon. But shortly after reaching their hotel, Danh started feeling unwell.
“When we arrived at the hotel the afternoon of April 8, she was not feeling well. So, we decided to rest that day because we had 16 total days in Japan, so we could afford to rest half a day,” Gradl told PEOPLE.
Condition Worsens Quickly
What seemed like a minor health issue quickly became serious. Within a day, her condition got worse, forcing Gradl to rush her to the hospital late at night. “April 9 things started to go bad very quickly, so I immediately took her to the hospital just before midnight where we were admitted to the emergency room, and the next day moved to the ICU because of life-threatening health decline,” he shared with PEOPLE.
Doctors later found that she was dealing with severe symptoms, including liver-related complications that also affected her brain function. The exact cause of the liver failure remains under investigation. The couple had planned a 16-day trip across Japan, but the dream honeymoon turned into a nightmare. Family and friends have launched a fundraising campaign to cover medical expenses and transportation costs. Danh is now receiving specialized care in Texas, where doctors are working to stabilize her condition.
