65th wedding anniversaries are about as rare as the blue sapphires that are the milestone’s traditional gift. So when that big day was approaching for Grace Curatolo and her husband, Rocco, their daughters Debbie and Lisa and son Vinnie knew they could not let a hospital stay keep their parents from celebrating. Grace, who lives with Rocco in Monroe, N.J., was admitted to Princeton Medical Center (PMC) on April 22. Five days later, she was transferred from the Medical-Neurology-Oncology (MNO) unit to Acute Rehabilitation — the day before their 65th anniversary!
Everyone wanted to help make it special. Daughter Debbie told Lauren Zelinsky, manager of Patient and Guest Relations, about the upcoming anniversary to be sure her father would be cleared to visit on April 28. On hearing the news, Zelinsky wanted to arrange a special surprise. Enlisting the help of Lesha Colin, director of Food and Nutrition, she discovered Grace’s diet had no restrictions: Cheesecake it is! Colin also ran to a nearby store for a cake topper and party favors. Grace’s nurse, Rita Okyere, RN, helped with logistics.
After Grace’s afternoon physical therapy session, Rocco and daughter Lisa arrived for their visit and minutes later, Colin rolled in a cart with the surprise cake, a vase of roses, and party accoutrements. Maryann Protz, RN, assistant nurse manager of Acute Rehab, snapped photos to share with the family and post on Princeton Health’s Facebook and Instagram pages, which inspired a stream of anniversary wishes for Grace and Rocco. “It was so very nice,” daughter Debbie chimed in on Facebook. “Sincere thanks to Penn Medicine.”