The old rhyme “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe” is an old wedding saying. But when wedding plans quickly pivoted to a ceremony inside a Gundersen La Crosse Hospital room, providers and staff at Gundersen focused on something loved: the precious remaining time spent between a mother and her daughter.
It was a hot day in June 2023 when representatives from Gundersen Health System’s Patient Experience department received a call from Ron Amundson, a resident chaplain in Gundersen’s Spiritual Care department. Gundersen Medical Oncology patient Laurie Arnold was in the hospital and not expected to live long enough to see her daughter, Jamie, walk down the aisle at her upcoming wedding.
Jamie is an only child and her father passed away in 2006. As Gundersen staff connected with Jamie and her family during Laurie’s treatments, it became clear a wedding ceremony including Jamie’s mother mattered most.
Patient relations specialist Susan Peek and staff from multiple departments quickly got to work, planning an impromptu wedding inside Laurie’s hospital room.
“Things like this are almost like magic,” Shannon Hulett, director of Patient Experience, said. “Love takes over and actions unfold across teams.”
Many, including clinical nurse leader-fellow Deanne Rochester, came in on their off day to ensure the ceremony could be as special as possible.
“It was truly amazing to see such teamwork,” Rochester said.
Patient representative Kay Zibrowski also came in on her day off to help decorate the room and assist the family.
“I will always try to help accommodate these special requests if I can because it just feels like the right thing to do,” Zibrowski said. “We were trying to make a very difficult time one that would have a silver lining for Laurie, Jamie and the family.”
Facility operations brought in extra chairs, removed the hospital bed, and helped Rochester and CNA Bella Nygaard transform the space from a hospital room to a wedding venue. Environmental services ensured a clean space for the patient, the bride and groom, and their wedding guests.
On the day of the wedding, Nygaard helped Laurie into her mother-of-the-bride dress and prepare for the ceremony. Other staff from the unit offered their assistance whenever they had a moment to spare. Patient attendant Sue La Crosse brought in decorations, matching the wedding’s planned colors.
Jamie says she is forever grateful for the actions of the staff to make the ceremony special.
“What they did, they didn’t have to do,” she said. “They were sensitive in their approach. They really had my thoughts and feelings in mind.”
The ceremony was a success but the team at Gundersen knew their work didn’t just stop after the married couple said, “I do.” A wedding is hardly complete without a reception.
Gundersen’s food service team set up a serving cart with a white tablecloth and fine utensils, plates and goblets for a brief reception with the patient and the wedding party. Philanthropy director Mandy Richardson brought sparking fruit juice. Philanthropy annual support coordinator Carly Frerichs brought homemade cupcakes.
“Having lost my dad a little over three years ago, I immediately wanted to help,” Frerichs said. “I can’t have my dad at my wedding, but I can help this family all be together to celebrate on their own special day.”
Gundersen’s clinicians and staff’s unwavering need to help create special moments has inspired the Gundersen Medical Foundation to create the Love + Medicine Fund. Patient Experience is partnering with the Foundation to ensure the funds support staff across the organization providing exceptional care experiences.
Using love and medicine is a foundational component of the treatment and empathy found at Gundersen Health System. If you would like to help support the fund and care experiences like this, click here to learn more.