Family Honors Cancer Victim's Dying Wish - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Family Honors Cancer Victim's Dying Wish

A saint Vincent employee got a big surprise on Friday from a patient's family.

Carol Surovick was a patient at Saint Vincent this past year, and she wanted to make sure one person in particular knew how much her care meant.

The room was full of joyful tears and hugs, as a family member fulfilled her sister's dying wish.

Before she passed away from pancreatic cancer, Carol requested that patient care assistant named Melissa McGehan, receive a special gift for the holidays.

Melissa had found Carol suffering from another clot, and rushed her to the OR, temporarily saving her life, until it was claimed by the cancer weeks later.

Carol's sister Denise has worked to fulfill her sister's final wishes, and Friday afternoon she surprised Melissa at the hospital, to present her with tickets for her and her daughter to see the Nutcracker, and have dinner before the show.

Melissa helped Carol through the most difficult time of her life, even when family couldn't be there.

"We wouldn't have had the time to say goodbye to Carol, and because Melissa did what she did and was as observant as she was and cared so much, we were able to spend three more weeks with Carol after that," said Carol's sister Joyce Dinello.

"It just makes me feel great that I had that kind of an impact on her, you know to do something like this for me and my daughter," McGehan said through tears.

Acts like this around the holidays reminds us that thoughtfulness doesn't go unnoticed. Dinello said it brought her peace to fulfill her last promise to her sister.