Despite not being able to physically attend his daughter’s wedding in Prince George, B.C., Terry Bell was still able to see her walk down the aisle thanks to technology, family and staff at Bruyere's Saint-Vincent Hospital in Ottawa.
Bell has multiple sclerosis and has been a patient there for 12 years. On Sunday, dressed in a tuxedo, he watched his oldest daughter Shauna say “I do” via Skype.
“My brother's delighted, when I say that sometimes tears come to his eyes, tears of happiness and of course his family is so precious to him,” said Terry’s brother Gerry Bell, who spoke on his behalf.
“Weddings are a big deal for most families and especially little girls always want their dads to be there and this is just such a great opportunity for Shauna to have her dad at the wedding,” said Terry’s niece Patricia Bell.”
When staff at the hospital found out about the wedding, they wanted to do whatever they could to celebrate the special occasion, said communications manager Andrea MacLean.
“It’s always important to enhance the lives of our patients so any chance we get to do something, be it small or large, we try to see what we can do,” MacLean said.
There were decorations, pictures of the couple, snacks and champagne in the sixth floor boardroom for the event.
After her wedding, Shauna and her new husband Aaron stepped away to deliver a special message to her dad, who had watched the entire thing unfold.
“Hi dad, I love you so much, I'm so happy you could be a part of this,” she said.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Katie Griffin
