A wholesome love story that began at Minnesota Regions Hospital, where two teens met in 2018. They reconnected years later and fell in love. Zach Zarembinski and Isabelle Richard both suffered traumatic brain injuries and were admitted for treatment at the Regions Hospital in Saint Paul.
Zarembinski was injured on the football field, while Richard’s injuries were due to a car accident. While the two battled for their lives, their mothers became friends. After the emergency surgeries, both teens were kept in medically induced comas for recovery, and doctors were monitoring them.
Days apart, two teens arrived at Regions Hospital with brain injuries & in comas. 7 years later, Zach brought Isabelle back to the hospital to surprise her with an engagement ring. #land10kstorieshttps://t.co/bsR2FRpwlt
— Boyd Huppert (@BoydHuppert) November 18, 2025
The doctors even told the parents that their kids may not recover and may need help throughout their lives. Richard’s mother said in a KARE 11 interview, “I remember Isabelle was lying there. She had shards of glass still in her hair. And she was unconscious.”
During that time, Zarembinski recovered and started talking. He told her mother that Isabelled would be okay. They both met in the hospital room when she was in a coma. Even after years had passed, the two mothers remained in touch via Facebook and made the teens meet at the family dinner.
The two reconnected in 2024 and started dating. Their faith in God and healing from traumatic injuries helped them connect. The duo launched a podcast on YouTube, Hope in Healing, where they discuss how they recovered from not even being able to walk to now being all normal.
They met at the hospital after emerging from comas. Now, Zach Zarembinski just surprised Isabelle Richard with an engagement ring – back at Regions Hospital.
“We’re just blessed to have a front row seat to their miracle,” Isabelle’s mother says.@BoydHuppert#land10kstories pic.twitter.com/F64iN3Ob21
— KARE 11 (@kare11) November 17, 2025
In their new video, Zarembinski planned an event in the hospital room, where they met years ago. The video starts with Bible verses and ends with a sweet proposal. He popped the question, and she said yes, hearing them is a red floral heart with the message, “Will You Marry Me?”
The two respect and love each other, a true inspiration to many who are dealing with hard recoveries. In a way, the two accept that they complete each other. They have the exact opposite sides of the skull removed.
On this, Richard said, “It’s opposite sides of our brain, so it’s kind of like we complement each other in that way. Things that I’m bad at, he’s good at.”Both their moms are excited about their union too, adding, “We’re just blessed to have a front row to their miracle.”
