Nurse helps fulfill dying cancer patient's last wish
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A nurse has been recognized after helping make a patient's final wish come true at her hospital bedside. The woman wasn't even his patient, but his actions helped her family to create a memory they won't soon forget.
Aaron Caskey told News 2 he would always remember January 22, 2025. A patient's condition at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital was rapidly declining, but it was her last wish to see her daughter get married. However, with the official wedding planned for a later date, it was starting to look like that dream may not have come true.
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'They knew she was sick and I don't think they realized how sick she was, so they had planned their wedding in April,' Caskey said.
The chaplain was away from the hospital that night. Caskey, a nurse of 17 years, was working that night. When he heard about what was going on, he decided to step in and help.
'I just told my boss, 'I'll just become ordained online, and I'll just do it,'' Caskey said.
In under an hour, Caskey got ordained, but the healthcare team didn't stop there.
But that's not all, the healthcare team went the extra mile to make the 'I do' at the patient's bedside special.
'We got cake and Welch's champagne from Publix. Emily, my medical assistant, she made rings out of pieces of ribbon for them,' Caskey said. 'The woman … woke up a little bit during the ceremony and she was able to see her daughter and give her daughter a hug.'
That patient died two hours later, still holding the bouquet from the last-minute wedding that Caskey helped make possible.
Because of his actions, Caskey was nominated for — and received — a Daisy Award. The Daisy Foundation grants the award to spotlight nurses who make a difference and submissions come from patients and hospital staff. Bonnie Barnes told News 2 that she co-founded the organization after her step-son, Patrick Barnes, died of an autoimmune disease 25 years ago. He received incredible nursing care throughout his treatment.
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'We know that it contributes to their healing,' Barnes said. 'It helps create some balance, this nurse did so much for me, at a time I needed them so badly and now I can give something back.'
Caskey said it was a team effort to help make the patient's last wish come true. He thanked the palliative care team, including Maria, Emily and Sister Florence. Caskey also told News 2 that his act came from a personal understanding about the need for joy and compassion while healing.
'I had stage three colorectal cancer,' said Caskey, who is now 22 years in remission. 'I know when I was sick and I wasn't sure which way things would go — things that were important to me — it's the only thing that mattered. So I just feel glad that I could give her peace in that.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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