Early in the shift, Chaplain Will notified the PCU nursing team that there was a possibility that the team would need to put together a wedding that day. Will had been contacted by the daughter of a patient with the request to officiate a wedding ceremony that day. The patient had been battling cancer and had reached the end of the treatments that were available. The provider team had encouraged her to go home on hospice and spend time with family; the patient had a goal to see her daughter get married, and did not want to stop treatment until that happened. The daughter and her fiancé flew in with the intent of getting married at the hospital, so that the patient would have peace about accepting hospice and could spend the holidays at home with family.  

Will worked closely with the family and the provider team to understand the patient’s condition and make sure the desire to get married was coming from the right place. When all involved were onboard, the PCU nursing team jumped into action to make sure this was a positive, memorable event for the family. The team felt strongly that they wanted this ceremony to be as close to a traditional ceremony as possible. Shailee contacted Missi from Dietary and requested a wedding cake. The Gift Shop was notified, and they donated decorations for the chapel and flowers for the bride to carry.  

Kayla reached out to Human Resources (HR) and Marketing for assistance with photography to document the day. Kayla also contacted nurse leaders from several other areas to arrange for unit coverage during the ceremony so the nursing staff could participate. Kayla and Kirsten took the decorations and set them up in the chapel in preparation for the ceremony. While the hospital staff was busy making all the preparations, the family went to purchase a suit. The daughter planned to wear her mother’s wedding dress. The only thing missing was shoes. Marketing generously donated a pair of sparkly slippers to complete the outfit.  

Will worked to create a ceremony that was unique to the couple. He even stayed past his shift so that he could officiate the service. Natalie from HR was present for the ceremony and was able to FaceTime the groom’s family so that they could participate in the couple’s special day. The PCU nursing team got the patient dressed and brought her down to the chapel. The daughter’s father walked her down the aisle as music played from a nurse’s phone. After the ceremony, the couple celebrated with a toast and cake. The patient was able to be discharged from the hospital shortly after and spent the holidays at home with her family.