As healthcare workers, we have the job of making someone comfortable in their final moments. We usually think of easing their pain and keeping them relaxed so they're not struggling to take a simple breath that most of us take for granted. We don't typically think of planning a wedding for them, but that's what Sara, Ahlam, and Keny recently did for one of our terminally ill patients. His final wish was to marry his long-life partner. This special patient was well-known and loved by many in the MSDU. His recent transfer to MICU allowed him to be taken care of by some more special associates, so when his final moments came, it wasn't a surprise that some associates would go the extra mile to make one of his final wishes come true.

When the bad news came and associates learned that this special patient might not have that much time left, they wanted to make his final moments super special. After hearing that the family was arranging for their parish priest to come and marry him to his life partner, three special associates decided to make this moment special. Keeping his “fiancée” in the dark with the help of his children, Ahlam, Sara, and Keny decorated his ICU room with wedding decorations, lights, and battery-operated candles. They spruced him up, combed his hair nicely to the side, and created a wedding veil for his “future” bride. The patient’s adult children went to Target and brought them wedding bands and a small floral bouquet. The ladies then surprised his love with the wedding veil, and their son walked her down the hall into his room. Keny, Sara, and Ahlam were secretly in the room waiting and playing a Spanish mariachi love song as the door swung open, and the bride saw her groom. The tears, smiles, and cheers filled the room. The patient was thrilled to see his “wife” and had the biggest smile on his face. Their children lined up in the room, thanking the staff for the special moment. The wife and husband shared laughs, tears, and hugs. What a sight to see a man’s last wish coming true before your eyes. At last, with the priest at the bedside, our special patient married his true love in front of his children.

The family was so thankful for what Ahlam, Sara, and Keny did that they couldn’t stop saying it to them. Sadly, the patient passed away a couple of days later in the presence of his family and wife. As healthcare workers, we usually can’t grant families, patients, and their loved ones a final wish, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime.