A woman fulfilled her mother’s final wish by marrying her partner at her mother’s bedside in an intensive care unit. Hospital staff helped turn the ICU hallway into a special place for the family ceremony, reported People.
Donna Cummings, 81, was being treated at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital for stage 4 liver cancer, according to a Facebook post by the hospital.
Donna wanted to see her daughter, Camie Cummings, marry her partner, Sandy Adams. Camie said her mother called Sandy her angel and had always wanted her daughter to marry him.
Camie told WCJB that she promised her mother she would marry Sandy at her bedside because she knew her mother was not going anywhere.
Hospital staff quickly began preparing for the ceremony. They decorated a hallway in the ICU to create a meaningful family celebration and help fulfil Donna’s wish. They also provided cake and sparkling lemonade for the occasion.
Camie said she was grateful that her mother, who was a former nurse and whom she called her best friend, was able to give her away during the ceremony.
Camie said her mother had sacrificed a lot for the family while they were growing up, and holding the wedding at her bedside was the least she could do to make her happy in her final days.
She added that her mother could go to heaven knowing that everything was taken care of.
Camie and Sandy met in nursing school two years ago. They first became friends before their relationship turned romantic.
Camie described the wedding as incredible and thanked the hospital staff for going above and beyond to help her, her mother, and Sandy share the special moment.
She said she owed the hospital staff everything and called the experience a true blessing in disguise. Camie added that she had expected a simple setup with a few people but said the ceremony turned out to be amazing.
The hospital said in its post that such moments showed the compassion, dignity and connection its staff bring to the people and families they serve.
Donna died in the ICU shortly after her daughter’s wedding. Camie said she was glad that her mother was no longer in pain.
Camie and Sandy plan to hold a wedding celebration with their friends in April.
