Former NICU Baby Becomes Ring Bearer at Nurse’s Wedding After Heartwarming Bond
When Ken and Elizabeth Smith arrived at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital to meet their newborn son, they never imagined they would gain a lifelong friend in NICU nurse Gabby Chandler. That friendship grew so deep that just over a year later, the couple’s son, Rhett, walked down the aisle as the ring bearer at Chandler’s wedding.
The Kansas City couple had spent years trying to grow their family. After pursuing multiple paths, they turned to adoption. In July 2022, they were matched with a Bay Area woman who was expecting a baby boy.
Just a few months later, in October 2022, they were tailgating at a Kansas City Chiefs game when life-changing news came through.
“They were like, ‘guess what? Your baby is here,’” Elizabeth recalled. “The whole parking lot was cheering,” Ken added.
Within hours, they packed up their car and drove overnight to Brandon to meet their son, Rhett.
Meeting Rhett — and Nurse Gabby Chandler
Rhett was born five weeks early and placed in the NICU. The next day, the Smiths met him for the first time, along with Nurse Gabby Chandler.
“She was just constantly coming to our room asking if we needed anything,” Ken said. “She’d come to give him his baths instead of the nurse that should be doing them.”
Elizabeth said Chandler became a steady source of support during the 18 days Rhett spent in the hospital.
“Gabby really was just kind of like my sanity,” she said. “She was just the calm that we needed to get us through.”
Even after Rhett’s discharge, the connection continued. While the Smiths stayed in town waiting for final adoption paperwork, Chandler often stopped by to help.
“She would come over and watch him, so that we could sleep,” Ken said. “I truly just love her so much,” Elizabeth said. “She’s really a special part of our lives.”
To celebrate Rhett’s first birthday, the Smiths invited Chandler to Kansas City. Their bond was so strong that when Chandler planned her January wedding in Thonotosassa, she knew the family had to be part of her big day.
“They used to call him like, I was his first girlfriend and things like that, so they were like, ‘if you’re not getting married to him. We’re going to be at your wedding,’” Chandler said.
“I made their daughter Madison one of my bridesmaids, and I made Rhett my ring bearer,” Chandler said. “It is so cute, because at first Sam , and I made him a little wagon, and he was not into it. Seconds before I walked down the aisle, I was like, ‘it is his world. I do not care.’ and so his dad ended up walking him down the aisle.”
Chandler and the Smiths remain close and are planning another visit soon.
“We were supposed to take a trip up there in July…but then I got pregnant, so we have to figure that out,” she said.
She hopes her child will share a bond with Rhett similar to the one she has built with his family.
“It’s nice to see the rewarding outcome that if you treat the family like you would treat your own,” she said.
