Shelly Miller was nominated by one of our Chaplains for "going above and beyond for the patients in her care", but specifically for orchestrating a wedding for one of her laboring patients.

The patient and her fiance had planned to be married at 1:00 at the County Courthouse the day she was admitted to the hospital at 34 weeks of pregnancy. Since they had all of their paperwork in place and she was in early labor, the patient shared with Shelly, her nurse, that she still wanted to be married that day. Shelly contacted our Chaplain and, after receiving the go-ahead from our Risk Manager, the wedding planning began. The Chaplain wrote the ceremony, the patient and her fiance called their family members, and Shelly helped the patient freshen up, put on her makeup, and get ready for the ceremony.

... "At 12:30, the patient's family gathered in her room for the traditional pre-wedding photos. The bride was beautiful; the groom was beaming; her parents gave her away; and we had a traditional service including the exchange of vows, the blessing and exchange of rings, and a blessing for the couple. All the while, Shelly continued to monitor the patient and her baby and prepared for the next steps in the delivery process.

The baby was delivered later that evening and did well. Thanks to Shelly's double duty as both wedding planner/coordinator and L&D nurse, this patient was able to have both her heart's desires - to marry her fiance and bring their son safely into the world."