Bride dances at wedding with doctor who saved her life

CLEVELAND -- Christine Tabar's wedding had plenty of special moments, including one not many brides experience. The 24-year-old shared a dance with the surgeon who saved her life when she was a teen.

Tabar was born with biliary atresia, a life-threatening disease in which the bile ducts of the liver don't open properly. When Tabar was 14, Dr. John Fung performed a rare "split liver" transplant, meaning a liver was split in half and given to two patients.

She recovered quickly but still saw Fung for check-ups. The surgeon also kept up with her life, she said.

"He has always taken the time to check on me," she said, "and I believe he always will."

The two regularly see each other at the airport where Tabar works, ABC News reports.

"You like to think that your patients can lead a normal life," Fung told ABC News. "That's what she was able to do."

Tabar said she wants to include Fung for the important moments in her life, so she invited him to her wedding. Fung participated in the "dollar dance" tradition to join her on the dance floor.

"It was amazing being able to dance with him because if it wasn't for him (or the donor) I wouldn't have been able to even get married," she told ABC.

At the reception Fung saved the day again, filling in when the photographer cancelled at the last minute.

"Between being a surgeon, saving my life and taking pictures," Tabar told ABC News, "He's incredible."

Fung said he enjoyed getting to be involved in Tabar's big night.

"This is a continuation of our relationship and friendship," he said. "I'm looking forward to when they have kids."