As February is traditionally the month of love, we wanted to share this beautiful story about a wedding organised by the Erina team – so resident and grandmother of the bride, Linda, could be part of the celebrations.

It was an ‘all in’ team effort when Mercedes, the granddaughter of Linda, married her new husband Jacob a second time so her much-loved Nan could attend.

Mercedes was completely heartbroken that Linda wasn’t able to come to the first wedding in August, as she requires around-the-clock care. With the amazing support of the Erina team, Mercedes and Jacob tied the knot again in front of a small gathering of family, friends, care team members and residents on 25 October.

‘We thought we would just get our wedding outfits on and pose with Nan for a few photos,’ Mercedes said.

‘But it turned into a second wedding!

‘Everybody went above and beyond to make this a special day.’

With generous donations to Hammond Foundation and the DREAMs Program, the team
hired a marquee, organised catering, flowers and even a wedding cake. Residents also helped with the setup, and there was excitement in the air as preparations took shape.

Linda now has real wedding photos with her granddaughter to keep forever. The additional icing on the cake is the exciting news that she’s also going to be a great-grandmother soon!

The images say it all, though it’s hard to tell who was more excited – Linda or the twice-married newlyweds.

Read more about Hammond Foundation’s life-changing programs below.