Nationwide — Challis Bell, a 28-year-old African American mother from Chicago, Illinois, got a double dose of joy when her boyfriend proposed to her just moments after she gave birth to their baby boy at a local hospital.
Bell and her partner, 30-year-old Denzel Kimbrough, welcomed their first child, Ace, at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn on Friday afternoon. With help from the hospital staff, Kimbrough planned a surprise that turned the delivery room into a scene of celebration.
Soon after Ace’s arrival, nurses dressed him in a custom onesie that read, “Mommy, will you marry Daddy?” When Bell noticed it, Kimbrough got down on one knee beside her hospital bed.
“I looked over and he was on one knee,” Bell said, according to Fox 32 Chicago. “I was shocked.”
The couple’s story began more than ten years ago when they met while attending Mother McAuley and Marist high schools on Chicago’s South Side. They lost touch after Kimbrough’s family moved, but mutual friends reconnected them three years ago.
“Since she came back into my life, I knew I wanted to marry her,” Kimbrough said.
Now home in Beverly with their newborn, the couple is grateful to the hospital staff for helping make the surprise moment possible. Bell said the proposal made an already unforgettable day even more special.