'So close to not being here': Father survives heart attack, performs dream dance at daughter's wedding

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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Moorea Long-Campbell dreamed for years of a show-stopping father-daughter dance at her wedding at Union Station.

But before she and her dad, Curtis Long, could perform it, life had other plans.

"I knew it would be tough to teach him choreography, but I wasn't expecting he would have to fight for his life first," Long-Campbell said.

Last fall, her dad had a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency bypass surgery.

"One of the last things I told the surgeon was, 'I'm expecting you to get me through this surgery and save my life, because I've got a daughter that's expecting me to walk her down the aisle in a few months,'" Long said.

His recovery was long, but he was determined to keep his promises as father of the bride.

"That cardiac rehab took on a whole new meaning. It was truly something of a blessing, and I think it healed me in more ways than one," Long said.

So he started the best kind of cardiac rehab: dance practices with his daughter.

Months later, he walked her down the aisle.

"I remember thinking of what was important to her and the dreams that she had, family memories, but then at the same time thinking about, 'I came so close to not being there for her at that moment,'" Long said.

"I had honestly dreamed of doing this dance with my dad for years and years, long before I met my groom," Long-Campbell said.

After facing one of life's toughest battles, they performed the dance of her dreams, together.

West Rose Photography

"We all go through the valleys at some point in life, and I think that's where you truly appreciate the view from the top of the mountain. That night, we truly were at the top of the mountain," Long said.

I asked Long-Campbell how her father's health scare changed what the dance meant to her.

"Tell the people in your life that you love them and be there for them, because you never know. You never know when that could end. We're so lucky, and it's a miracle that ours didn't," Long-Campbell said.

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