The COVID-19 crisis couldn’t stop a wedding. Jorden Wilson, a nurse treating COVID-19 patients in the Highly Infectious Disease Unit (HIDU) at Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital, married her fiancé Randy Johnson Jr. on Thursday, July 9, at the Katy area hospital. Wilson was originally supposed to tie the knot at a different venue on May 23 with friends and family. The current COVID-19 pandemic made that dream impossible.
As the pandemic progressed, travel restrictions and social distancing concerns forced Wilson and Johnson to cancel their wedding. When Wilson’s co-workers heard about the cancellation, they rallied together to provide her with one. As employees of the HIDU, they care for the more severe COVID-19 cases and work around the clock to care for their patients. This work has made them a tight-knit group and they were determined that Wilson, a beloved member of the team, would have her special day. They received permission to give her a wedding at Houston Methodist Continuing Care.
“There’s so much love here,” Wilson said. “They saw I was heartbroken when my wedding couldn’t happen and they made it happen.”
As one of the first nurses that volunteered to treat COVID-19 patients in the HIDU, Wilson is considered an integral part of the unit. “Jorden has been instrumental in the success of the HIDU. She was one of the first nurses hired to staff the unit,” said Gary Kempf, vice president and administrator of Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital. “When the request came in to throw her a wedding at the hospital, it was an immediate ‘yes’. I knew the hospital could do something special for her while still adhering to the governor’s orders and set a good example for social distancing.”
The wedding had community support. Wilson and Johnson tied the knot in a gazebo within the hospital’s new rooftop garden – a recently created space thanks to generous donations from Home Depot. The company provided plants, furniture and lights to create a peaceful outside experience for COVID-19 patients.
“The rooftop garden was created when some of our COVID-19 patients wanted to go outside. Originally, we couldn’t accommodate their requests but we came up with a solution that allowed them to safely enjoy the outdoors,” Wilson explained. “It’s a beautiful space and I’m so fortunate we could easily convert it to an impromptu wedding venue.”
Family members watched the wedding on a live stream while hospital staff filled key roles for the event. Wilson’s director walked her down the aisle, and the unit’s human resources director officiated while four HIDU nurses stood as bridesmaids and groomsmen. One nurse, a skilled hobbyist photographer, captured the event while another nurse used her contacts to score cupcakes for the reception.
“It didn’t matter that my wedding wasn’t the one I originally planned. I just wanted a wedding and they made it happen,” Wilson said. “It’s everything I could have ever wanted.”
About Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital
Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital is a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) that proudly serves the Greater Houston area, focused on the needs of patients requiring extended hospitalization. Houston Methodist Continuing Care also houses Houston Methodist West Hospital’s outpatient services for wound care and cardiac rehabilitation. For more information, visit houstonmethodist.org/continuing-care or call 832.522.7550.