Feb 9, 2008 6:00 pm US/Eastern
Bride Dies Of Heart Disorder During First Dance
DAVIE, Fla. (CBS) ―
Teddy Efkarpides, 43, of Sunrise, cannot say how long before he stops mourning the loss of his wife, Kim, 36, who died of a heart disorder while they celebrated their first dance at their wedding last month.
Kim Sjostrom was a Davie teacher and Teddy was a carpenter when they married on Jan. 16th. He said "'The only official document now that can bear the name she wanted to have is the death certificate.''
Cardiac arrest, the doctors told him, related to blockages and hardening of the arteries.
The two met through an online dating service.
The wedding was three years to the day after their first date. They had lunch at a restaurant followed by a long talk at his apartment. He says it lasted eight hours.
The next day, he said he cooked chicken fried rice, and they watched television and talked. By the third date, they were an item, and that summer she moved in.
In their first Christmas together, Kim gave Teddy her ''101 Reasons Why I Love You,'' framed.
``She was my soul mate. She was kind. Caring. She looked past all my flaws to bring out the best in me. She always looked me in the eyes, always with a smile, as if she won the lottery.''
He proposed at the Broward Mall, just after buying Kim a Tanzanite and diamond ring, reporterd CBS4's news partners at The Miami Herald. It was Jan. 3, 2007.
Weeks later, at 5 p.m., the ceremony, and the couple headed for the reception, on the patio. A friend announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Teddy Efkarpides.''
About a minute into the dance, Kim said she felt lightheaded. Teddy thought she needed sugar and suggested they head for a table.
Then, he said, "she collapsed.''
On Jan. 23, many of the wedding guests joined scores of others at Calvary Chapel South in Fort Lauderdale for the funeral.
Kim's ashes were taken to Mississippi, where she grew up.
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