Wedding Bells the Sound of a Patient’s Final Wish
Annette Nichols had Stage IV lung cancer and advancing multiple sclerosis. Never one to admit defeat, she dreamt of seeing her grandsons grow up and her youngest son get married.
“She hated the fact that this was happening to her,” said her youngest son, Warren Nichols. “She felt cheated. But the thing about Ma was, she never let it show.”
The nurses on Tower 4C recall that Annette—who her son says was a WWE wrestling fanatic with a penchant for playing cards—remained upbeat even as her cancer progressed.
“She was so sweet, and had the best sense of humor,” said Lynne M. Patterson, RN, one of Annette’s primary nurses during her time on 4C. “She was able to make us laugh even when she was in the middle of her treatments.”
Annette made her visitors laugh, too, and was careful to never make them feel obligated to visit her in the hospital. The visitors came, regardless—Warren and his two brothers, Jimmy and Bryan Nichols, and Warren’s fiancée, Michele Curran, and their son, one-year-old Shawn Nichols. And despite their harried schedules, Warren and Curran continued to plan their summer 2011 wedding, scouting venues and trying to confirm a date.
Everything changed after Annette’s sister, Lorraine Ellis, visited her that spring, Warren recalled. “She pulled me aside and said, ‘Between now and the day your mother closes her eyes, you’re going to make her as happy as humanly possible.’”
While Warren knew he couldn’t deliver on his mother’s first wish—to see her grandsons grow up—he could grant her second wish: to see him get married.
From there, things progressed at a rapid pace. They had to, as Annette was running out of time. What happened next is the story of a family coming together to give their matriarch the best final days possible, and of nurses and social workers partnering to create a meaningful event for their patient and her son.
The couple ultimately decided to hold the ceremony at the BWH Chapel to guarantee that Annette would be able to attend. When Mellisa Wilson, RN, found out that the wedding would be taking place at the hospital, she used her day off to act as an impromptu wedding coordinator.
“I ran to the dollar store to get bubbles and decorations and some snacks,” she said. “And on the day of the wedding, I brought a mirror and some flowers from home so we could make Annette’s room look pretty while she got dressed.”
When Annette put on her dress, nurses helped thread her oxygen tube through the sleeve so it wouldn’t be visible, and Angela Cimino, a friend of the family, was on-hand to do her hair and makeup.
“When she came downstairs, she was absolutely radiant—positively glowing,” said Warren. “The nurses told me that in the preceding days, her condition ramped up. She rallied, because she saw that she was going to get to see her baby marry Michele.”
The June 19 ceremony ran as smoothly as any couple—and mother of the groom—could hope. Family and close friends filled the Chapel, and when they realized there were no free hands to hold the video camera, Wilson herself recorded the ceremony.
After the wedding, the wedding party headed to the family room, which was also decorated for the occasion. They sipped sparkling lemonade and snacked on a dessert plate delivered by the Food Services Department.
Paige Anderson, MSW, LICSW, worked with the Nichols family from the earliest days of her diagnosis.
“Every time I saw her, her wishes became more defined,” she said. “The wedding itself represented so much in coming to terms with her illness. Her wishes were achieved. The nurses were so invested in making this happen for her.”
Wilson noted that events like the Nichols wedding, while rare, are not above and beyond what she and her colleagues consider part of caring for their patients.
“They were so appreciative,” said Wilson. “But it’s something we would do for any patient.”
In the week following the wedding, Annette’s condition began to deteriorate. She died on June 27.
“One of the last things she ever ate was a piece of my wedding cake,” said Warren. “I cannot find the words to express how thankful I am that things came together in the way they did. Truly, it was a dream come true for my mother.”