Channel 3 News "Open for Business"
with Vittoria Woodill
Q & A ~ Vittoria & Valerie
The silver lining from all these couples having to reschedule their wedding day during this pandemic is that I have had a longer relationship with each couple and have gotten to know them better. Usually, I get to meet a couple around a year before their wedding to do their Save the Dates and it winds down with the Wedding Thank You notes (until they have children and do the birth announcements) . But now, the timeline is so much longer and there is much more contact because everything is so different. I have been blessed to have so many couples, that I've been through most circumstances now and can provide each couple with guidance, while keeping their spirits lifted during this challenging time in their lives. I want their wedding to be what they have dreamed! 💜
February 2021 Employee of the Month Award
Presented to Joyce by Vittoria Woodill
My parents used to argue over who would get this award every month. This month my Mom received it with a special presentation!
Coincidence?
Coincidence? I don’t think so.
At the end of September 2020, I got a message through The Knot from a Bride who I have never had contact with before. Kelli told me about her wedding and what she was needed for her wedding invitations. For the next two months we communicated through The Knot until she was ready to schedule her Zoom an appointment for December 9th.
On December 8th, my Mom had to call the ambulance because my Dad was weak. They would not let my Mom go with him because of Covid-19. My Dad was 90 years old, had hearing aids and had just had a cornea replacement surgery so his vision was bad too. So, when my Mom couldn’t go with him we were worried because she had truly become his eyes and ears.
After he was at the hospital for about 30 minutes, they called my Mom to tell us my Dad had Covid. He was admitted and transferred to the Covid floor at Paoli Hospital.
With this news, we told my Mom she had to get tested. She was positive too. So now I have both parents with Covid and my Dad in the hospital. I was scared.
I had an appointment with Kelli on December 9th which I was unsure I could keep, so I reached out to Kelli to see if she could be flexible. During that call and when I was describing why I would ever postpone an appointment I discovered she was a nurse ~ at Paoli Hospital . . . and my Dad’s nurse! We ended up having the appointment because my Dad’s condition seemed to be improving and my Mom was doing fine.
He was doing so good that on Thursday, December 10th he called and told me that he was due to be released on Friday. We already knew that, and we were arranging transportation for him to come home because my Mom had Covid, and I was waiting for my test results. We were feeling good. Dad was coming home, and my Mom was showing no symptoms.
Overnight on Thursday things went downhill and quickly. Kelli was with him and called us over the night. Decisions had to be made. And quickly. Kelli arranged for us to all FaceTime with my Dad even when he had to get moved from his room to the ICU. My Mom talked to the palliative nurse and told her that my Dad would always say on his last day on Earth he wanted to eat a whole box of chocolates. She was able to get chocolate and put it on his lips for us.
Kelli stayed in touch with us all day Friday. Saturday, at 4:50am, my Dad, passed away. She called me after her shift was over. And since then, she continues to be a source of strength and information to me.
After Vittoria Woodill and Channel 3 was here to tape my segment, Kelli and her fiancé Andrew came her and bought us a basket of love, which include the best chocolates and a special candle made for my Dad that has a chocolate scent.
Kelli will always have a special place in my heart!
Coincidence? I don’t think so.
