A rehab facility in Texas took a patient’s treatment close to heart.
Staff at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Katy, Texas, were able to bring Tatiana Palza’s wedding to her father, Jorge Palza, who would have had to miss her special day due to his rehab after back surgery.
Jorge Palza, 80, was expected to be released from the hospital before his daughter’s wedding on May 27 — but Tatiana Palza told Fox News Digital in an interview that her father needed additional rehabilitation and couldn’t be released before the wedding.
“And then he was sent to Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Center where we thought [the] rehab was going to take a week or maximum, 10 days.”
Once Houston-based Tatiana Palza received the news that her dad would have to stay in the rehab center for a longer period of time, they knew he’d miss the wedding that had been postponed multiple times already.
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Once Memorial Hermann Katy Rehab found out that Jorge Palza would be missing his daughter’s special day, his therapists, including occupational therapist Kendra Smart, had a better idea.
“We heard that Mr. Palza was feeling pretty down about missing his daughter’s wedding,” Smart told Fox News Digital.
“[Tatiana] mentioned, ‘Can the priest and my husband and I come up and do a blessing ceremony?’ And that’s when my occupational therapist brain took off.”
“My dad had to get dressed and shave and put on a tie and shoes and his suit — all part of his occupational therapy,” said Tatiana Palza.
Smart added, “What is more motivating and meaningful to someone than getting ready for your daughter’s wedding?”
“It’s really the coolest thing I’ve been a part of,” she said. “It wasn’t the wedding he planned, but it was a million times better than not being a part of his daughter’s wedding.”
Jorge Palza’s physical therapy that day included getting into his wheelchair and making his way down to the “beautiful garden” where the ceremony took place, said the new bride.
“We all got dressed up,” she said. “I wore my white dress, and we had a priest.”
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Tatiana Palza described how the wedding ceremony at Memorial Hermann in Katy, Texas, was "more than we expected." (Horande Studios)
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Tatiana Palza and Juan A. Loreto are shown during their wedding ceremony at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Katy, Texas, on May 27, 2023. (Horande Studios)
“It was more than we expected,” she added.
Jorge Palza told Fox News Digital, “It was a very emotional day that I will never forget. At least we tried to be together … and things went well.”
“We were cornered in such a way that they couldn’t assist with the real wedding, but there’s always a spark of intelligence that gave us the power to do that ceremony privately at the hospital, which gave me a lot of satisfaction,” he said.
Tatiana Palza and husband Juan A. Loreto with family members at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Katy, Texas, on May 27, 2023. (Horande Studios)
She added, “When you plan things with love and good intentions, they will develop good.”
Her father described how the Palzas are a “united family,” including his new son-in-law, who “finally” made his daughter a married woman.
“Finally it happened,” he said, laughing. “After many years.”