GIRL, 4, WITH LEUKEMIA ‘MARRIED’ HER FAVORITE NURSE
Hospital staff at the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancers in Albany, New York, threw a pretend wedding on July 16, 2015, for 4-year-old leukemia patient Abby Sayles and her favorite nurse, Matt Hickling, after she asked him to marry her. It was not a legal marriage, just a ceremony the team pulled together in less than 24 hours at Albany Medical Center.
Abby’s mother, Renee Sayles, told NBC News that her daughter had been looking forward to marrying her “prince charming.” Hickling had been Abby’s nurse for almost a year at that point. CBS News reported that Abby did the proposing herself, and the staff got to work.
Hickling said the whole thing came together in under a day, which is a tight turnaround for a wedding, even a pretend one.
Rose petals, ring pops and a hospital mask veil
The aisle was covered in rose petals, and nurses stood in as bridesmaids. A local florist donated the flowers, TIME reported. Hickling dressed for the occasion in a tuxedo T-shirt worn with his scrubs.
WTVR reported that Abby’s veil was a hospital mask. A doctor led the ceremony, INQUIRER.net reported, and when the question came, Hickling answered, “Of course, I will marry you.”
Afterward the couple shared cake and ring pops. Asked if she was happy to be married, Abby replied, “Yeah, this is my first time to be married!” WTVR reported. She also called it the “best day ever,” according to WNYT.
Hickling told NBC News that Abby was hard to miss on the ward. “Abby herself is really bright and charismatic. She has a smile that can light up a room or the whole center really. She has a face you really can’t forget,” he said.
He also explained why the staff went to such lengths. “We can make these memories so it’s something they [the patients] can hold on to,” Hickling said.
Deseret News quoted Hickling’s personal Facebook post: “This day will hopefully be one our patient and her family can always look back on and smile when days are tough! I know I will!”
Renee Sayles told Global News she felt blessed to have such caring staff looking after her daughter. She also told INQUIRER.net that Abby and Hickling “have always had a great connection since the beginning of her diagnose.”
Inquirer also reported a pink “just married” car as part of the festivities.
Millions of views and a health update
Nurse Lori Ciafardoni posted video of the ceremony to Facebook. Hickling said the clip showed the hospital staff’s teamwork. By July 20, 2015, NBC reported, it had been viewed more than 24 million times.
Hickling also gave an update on Abby’s health. She was feeling very well, he said, with another year and a half of maintenance therapy ahead before she could hopefully move into remission.
Hickling’s work at the hospital was recognized the following year. Crouse Hospital said in a 2018 announcement that Hickling, who had worked at Albany Medical Center since 2011, was named the Albany Times Union’s 2016 Nurse of the Year.
