Emotional moment a bride leaves her wedding to surprise her bedbound grandmother at hospital – and leaves her ‘nonna’ hysterical
This is the sweet moment a bride surprised her bedbound grandmother in hospital, leaving her so delighted she became ‘hysterical’.
Jessica Colalillo, 24, and her longtime partner, Adam, 31, both from Ontario, Canada, said their “I do” in an intimate wedding ceremony last month, but the special day was marred by the absence of her “nonna” Gemma Russo.
Gemma, 88, from Italy, was ‘excited’ to see her granddaughter tie the knot, but a bad fall at home left her bedridden, resulting in a long hospital stay.
Jessica, a surgery coordinator, was so eager to have her nonna there on the special day that she came up with a plan to surprise her at the hospital right after she said her wedding vows.
The grandmother-of-six couldn’t believe her eyes when the newlyweds appeared in front of her, and immediately became ‘hysterical’, even commenting on how ‘beautiful’ Jessica looked.
This is the sweet moment bride Jessica Colalillo, 24, surprised her bedbound grandmother in hospital, leaving her so elated she became ‘hysterical’. (Image: Jessica Colalillo, 24, and her longtime partner, Adam, 31, next to grandma Gemma Russo, 88)
Gemma, from Italy, was ‘excited’ to see her granddaughter tie the knot, but a bad fall at home left her bedridden, resulting in a long hospital stay
Jessica explained, “My nonna was at my bridal shower and was so excited to see me walk down the aisle.
‘Three weeks before my wedding she fell and had to go to hospital. This resulted in her having severe mobility problems and becoming bedridden.
‘The day before the wedding we told the hospital how we were going to visit her.
‘She was hysterical, she was so happy. I’m sure she was upset that she couldn’t come, but she was still happy to see me in the dress.”
Jessica added that the friendly staff at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, were thrilled with the surprise, and even wheeled Gemma out for the big reveal.
She also talked about her fear when she heard about the fall, and how it made her more determined than ever to see her grandmother.
Jessica said: ‘It’s been an unsettling three weeks.
‘I’m an only child and my parents worked a lot, so I’ve been with my grandmother all my life.
The grandmother of six couldn’t believe her eyes when the newlyweds appeared in front of her and immediately became ‘hysterical’
Jessica says her ‘nonna’ was so ‘excited’ and looking forward to seeing her and her boyfriend tie the knot
“She has been waiting for this day to see me get married. She was so excited to see me and my husband together.
“When we got out of the car, she spoke Italian, she was so happy and proud.”
Jessica and Adam got engaged in September 2021, during a romantic vacation in Positano, Italy.
They married at Liuna Station, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, surrounded by 370 of their closest family and friends.
“The day went very well,” said Jessica.
‘We had a beautiful ceremony in the church and on the way to take our photos we stopped to see my nonna.
‘Leading up to the wedding we hoped she would come, but for two weeks she was bedridden.
‘Then we decided that she couldn’t come, but that we would go and see her.
‘Nonna is now out of hospital and in a rehab centre. I saw her last week and she can sit up and feed herself.
“She’s improving little by little, which is really good.”