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Katy hospital hosts wedding for bride, hospitalized dad
A bride's dream wedding turned into a heartwarming surprise when medical workers brought the ceremony to her hospitalized 80-year-old dad.
HOUSTON - A wedding is a big day in a woman's life, one she often dreams about her entire life.
Tatiana Palza was certainly excited to say her "I Do's", but a few setbacks made it more challenging to make her dreams come to life, but she did it!
Her plans changed after her 80-year-old dad had an unexpected hospitalization. She and his medical workers got creative to make sure the wedding could still go on, and her beloved dad could be part of it all.
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Jorge Palza dreamed of walking his daughter down the aisle. He was in too much back pain to pull it off, so he traveled from his home in Bolivia to visit Tatiana in Houston to undergo back surgery. His recovery was only expected to last about a week, but complications led to a second surgery. The complications left him barely able to stand or walk, so then he needed to spend months regaining his strength in a rehabilitation facility.
"When he was transported to Memorial Hermann, he went on an ambulance because he couldn't move his legs or anything," explains Tatiana.
She wanted to postpone her wedding, but her loving dad insisted against that plan.
"I say, don't do that because people from Bolivia from Peru from Venezuela from Nicaragua are coming to see us, and they already bought their tickets, so it's going to be a loss for them," explains Jorge.
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Tatiana's heart was heavy, unable to imagine this huge milestone without her dad.
"He's a very important part of my life! He is everything to me. He has given me everything. He has raised me the best way a father can do. I'm his only girl," explains Tatiana.
That's when medical workers at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Katy realized they could make this father and daughter's dreams come to life. He wasn't allowed to leave the inpatient facility because of insurance rules, so Occupational Therapist Kendra Smart helped Tatiana came up with Plan B.
"She told us, how about we make his therapy about the wedding? So, for the occupational therapy, your dad is going to get dressed, he's going to put his suit on, his tie on, his shirt, as part of that type of therapy. And then for his physical therapy, he's going to go down in his wheelchair (to the ceremony)," reminisces Tatiana.
"We have a tranquility garden, so it doesn't have to be in his room, and then let us therapists become a part of it. Let's make this day a part of his therapy session, because our goal is personalized care, and we like to do things that are meaningful and purposeful to our patients and what is more purposeful or meaningful, than getting ready for your daughter's wedding," states Kendra Smart.
"So, when we went to the tranquility garden, I get to hug him, and we got to cry a lot. I think we let go at that moment. Everything that was going on because until that day, I had to be strong for my dad. And he was like I have to be strong for my daughter. But at that moment we can let it all go, so it was very healing," says Tatiana.
It is certainly touching for caretakers to play a role in helping plan the ceremony.
"We always try to do things that are personalized, but this was by far the coolest personalized experience we've ever done in therapy," says Kendra. "That surprise was more than a surprise; it was an unexpected surprise which came from God through the skies and came to us. That really made my day, my week, and my month," says a proud Jorge. They all undoubtedly formed memories to last a lifetime.
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Tatiana was still able to have her large church wedding, and Memorial Hermann helped set up technology so her dad could also experience that from his hospital room.
"I think the rest of my day went so good because he was able to be part of such a special moment, and we were just really happy," says a smiling Tatiana.
Tatiana's dad is getting even stronger and is now out of the wheelchair and feeling stronger. The Palzas hope their story will lend hope to other families!
"We're hoping to give hope to those who are in a similar situation. Like maybe a grandma who cannot go to their grandchild's high school graduation, or another father or mother who's going to miss a wedding and hopefully they will manage the way around just with love. We can make things happen! It doesn't have to be the conventional way, just in a different way, but we can all make sure our loved ones are part of our most important moments in our lives. Taking advantage of technology can help too," encourages Tatiana.
For more information: https://memorialhermann.org/locations/rehabilitation-hospital-katy