Jerry and JoEllen had been childhood sweethearts.  He had Cystic Fibrosis but did really well. He and JoEllen drifted apart while he was in college. JoEllen had left an abusive husband and was struggling to raise two toddlers on her own by the time they reconnected.  Jerry was well-established at his engineering firm and anxious to offer JoEllen and her boys a solid life.

Things were going well for them.  They were about to buy a house and planning a wedding when Jerry became jaundiced.  He was found to be in acute liver failure as a result of his long and complicated medical history.   I met them when it was my privilege to be his nurse.  JoEllen never left his side if she didn’t have to. They were such a loving couple.  It was heartbreaking to know their future together couldn’t be too long.

When it was obvious Jerry’s death was eminent, they made arrangements to get a marriage license so they could marry before his death.  Jerry asked for a hospital pass so they could marry and close on their home purchase. The doctor said he couldn’t legally write an order for such a sick patient to leave the hospital but was a very busy man and certainly couldn’t stop Jerry should he choose to elope.

They were married the next day and closed on their house. Jerry died in a day or so but not before he was able to make sure JoEllen and “his” boys would be well taken care of.