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| News & Events |
| October 02, 2009
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| DREAMS DO COME TRUE - NO MATTER HOW BRIEF |
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 Stacey Micoli and Matthew Daniels were wed on Friday, July 17, 2009 at Niagara Hospice House. Both sets of parents were in attendance, although the father of the groom had to stop a train to get there! The wedding took place in the family gathering room with Niagara Hospice Spiritual Care Counselor, Rev. Jack Marshall officiating. The bridesmaids wore blue gowns picked out months earlier by the bride; the bride wore the wedding gown she had previously picked out and chose her veil the day of the wedding.
Sounds almost like a storybook wedding, doesn’t it? However, this wedding was pulled together in just 8 hours!
Stacey Micoli was a gifted and talented young woman whose passion was singing and dancing. She was very active in her church and church choir. She was a camp counselor at Camp Kenan; performed in many productions with Opera Lytes at the Lancaster Opera House; choreographed for Lockport High School musicals; sang with the Vocalis Chamber Choir – a select group of singers from the WNY area; sang for weddings and other occasions, all while working two jobs – even while going through treatments for her disease.
Stacey braved a 3-year battle with a rare form of cancer that was detected in her ovaries. She received the diagnosis on her 23rd birthday. She would often joke with her doctors, all while staying optimistic through everything with great fortitude. When Stacey was at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, preparing to come home after losing all her hair, her family put together a photo shoot kit for Stacey to model various wigs, hats and headpieces. During the photography session, her doctor came in to talk with her and the family. Stacey said, “Come back later, we’re in the middle of a photo shoot!” Stacey’s friends and family voted on their favorite “look” from the pictures – blonde – for Stacey to fashion while her hair grew in. 
Strange coincidences or heavenly intervention?
During the course of her battle, Stacey experienced several incidents that had her and her family feeling that something greater was working through her. The first song Stacey performed on stage was When you Believe from the Prince of Egypt, the same song that someone was playing on the piano at Roswell the first day she walked into the facility for treatment. The song Stacey and Matt chose as their wedding song, This is Your Song by Elton John, was being played on the piano at Roswell two days after they chose it.
Two years after her diagnosis, Stacey visited a bar after choir practice with a friend and met some of her friends that were there. One of the young men thought they had met before, Stacey said no. When she left to use the restroom, the young man told his roommates, “Hands off, that one’s mine!” When Stacey returned, the man asked if she had ever been to Roswell. She said yes and it turned out the young man was Matt Daniels who visited his grandmother often at Roswell, two doors down from Stacey’s room. Matt asked Stacey if she received a crocheted afghan from a woman after her discharge. When Stacey said yes, Matt told her that was his mother. Matt asked Stacey to marry him on her birthday, March 21st, “To replace a bad memory with a good one,” Stacey said.
 When it was decided to move the wedding up to July from November, at the urging of Stacey’s physician, the bridesmaids gowns were either not all ordered or not ready. As fate would have it, one of the bridesmaids sang for a wedding a short time earlier. The bridesmaids in the wedding were wearing the exact gowns in the color that Stacey had picked out! They contacted the girls that were in the area and were able to fit all the bridesmaids who were able to be in town for the July 17 wedding – amazingly, no alterations were needed.
Although a very happy event, many tears were shed that day. Stacey entered into rest on Monday, July 27 at the tender age of 26.
Heroes who helped make it happen:
• Food and cake for the reception of 25-30 guests were provided by Niagara Hospice House culinary staff.
• Mills jewelers of Lockport had the rings ready with 1-hour notice.
• Wegman’s donated a second wedding cake.
• Jeff Seekins, organist from 1st Presbyterian Church, played piano music with just a 2-hour notice.
• Gould’s Flowers of Lockport donated flowers.
• Gerry Hogan, Atty., Lockport Mayor Mike Tucker and City Clerk Richard Mullaney helped facilitate the wedding license on short notice.
• A staff member from Blissett’s drove to Lockport with Liz and Stacey’s dresses and Stacey’s veil.
• Christopher Scinta, a dear friend of Stacey’s, took professional photographs of the event at no charge.
• Many Hospice staff donated their time, energy and talents to help make this joyous event happen. |
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