Staff from across Pennsylvania Hospital joined forces to ensure that a young woman recently admitted with stage 4 melanoma with metastasis to her brain, could walk down the aisle before her surgery. While the bride and her fiancé hoped to quickly organize a small ceremony – no fanfare required – her care team had something bigger and more beautiful in mind.
“We put everything together in less than one day,” said Kristin Rupich, CRNP, a nurse practitioner in Neurosurgery. “The patient had mentioned to the chaplain that she was hoping it would be possible for her and her fiancé to get married prior to her surgery, even just at the bedside, but then it quickly spiraled. It really was a group effort, and it was so nice to see so many providers and staff come together to make this happen.”
Staff from across PAH joined forces to ensure that this ‘special day’ was truly extraordinary – from the patient’s care team who worked out the details to make sure that her intimate wedding vision was realized and provided her with a cake before her preoperative fast began, to the Patient and Guest Relations and Pastoral Care teams who provided the decorations and ensured the beautifully orchestrated celebration went smoothly, to the Food and Nutrition team who put together refreshments for the reception, to the dozens of staff who filled the chapel to celebrate their nuptials.
The bride, groom, and their loved ones were amazed by the response and were grateful to everyone who helped make their wishes come true. The patient is still on her long road to recovery, but this touching, whirlwind wedding made it clear that not only does she now have her husband by her side for love, support, and encouragement, but she has an entire hospital in her corner, as well.
“Thank you to everyone who was able to be present for one of our patients today during one of the happiest moments of her life,” said George Shafer, MSN, RN, nurse manager of 7 Cathcart and 7 Preston. “While this wasn’t exactly a normal day at Pennsylvania Hospital, the compassion and love that we shared as a group is representative of what we strive to do individually each day in all of our interactions with our patients and their loved ones. I could not be more proud of our team.”