William and Janet Cave Haven't Missed a Valentine's Day in 66 Years

There is nothing better than being with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, however, due to medical reasons it looked as if William Cave Sr. and Janet, his wife of 63 years, were destined to spend Valentine’s Day 2017 apart. Fate, however, with a little help from their doctors and nurses, brought them together for a brief Valentine’s Day rendezvous at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.

Janet, 80, had been in and out of the hospital since August and is currently residing at a skilled nursing facility in Annapolis. The trip is too long for 81-year-old William to visit his wife, so they typically FaceTime every day. Janet was brought to the hospital for an outpatient procedure and William had been admitted suffering from a virus. Knowing his parents were under the same roof, their son, Ken, asked his mother’s nurses if there was any way she could visit her husband following her procedure. The nurses said they were uncertain and would check. Ken went to visit his father in his room while he waited for the call letting him know his mother’s procedure was finished.

Janet has made several visits to the Interventional Radiology (IR) department and knew the IR nurses and doctors well. When she was taken back for her procedure, while she was visiting with the IR team she told them her husband was upstairs and she was hoping to see him. Determined to give the couple a Valentine’s date, the IR nurses phoned the patient floor to find out if William could come downstairs, but were told he could not.

The team was determined the couple should see each other, so after Janet’s procedure was finished, they transported her up to her husband’s room and knocked on the door. One of the nurses announced, “We have a Valentine’s surprise for you,” and they wheeled Janet into William’s room positioning her stretcher next to his chair. The IR team had even purchased a bouquet of flowers for Janet to give to William.

“They brought my mom in and the whole staff was in tears,” said Ken, who explained his parents hadn’t missed a Valentine’s Day in their 66 years together.

“It was so nice that he could see her,” said the couple’s daughter, Daryl Reyes. “I know it meant so much to both of them.”