After a successful kidney transplant, couple renews vows atop Empire State Building

Alix and Brett Epps are the perfect match, in more ways than one.
They've been through a lot since their first date in 2014 — that night, Brett started having chest pain, and was later diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare form of kidney disease. His friends, family, and even strangers volunteered to donate a kidney, but only one person who was tested ended up being a perfect match: Alix. Brett needed to have dialysis every night and spent a lot of time in the hospital, and during one visit with Alix, Brett popped the question. Just a few weeks later, he received Alix's kidney during a transplant, and in 2017, they married. "It's this extra bond," Alix told ABC News. "I always felt so close."
The Epps' entered a contest to renew their vows on Valentine's Day atop the Empire State Building, and ended up winning. They flew in from North Carolina, and along with 10 other couples, said their "I Do's" again, this time high over New York City. "I'd marry her every day of the week if I could," Brett said. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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