A frontline healthcare worker turned a vaccination appointment into a memorable moment by proposing to her boyfriend at a South Dakota hospital recently. Robbie Vargas-Cortes, 31, a paramedic and EMS supervisor, was scheduled to get vaccinated. Knowing that her boyfriend of five years, Eric Vanderlee, was one of the vaccine administrators at Sanford Canton-Inwood Medical Center, she planned the unique proposal.
When Vanderlee, a registered nurse in Canton, was ready to give the injection, she noticed that Vargas-Cortes had something up her left sleeve: an engagement ring stuck to her arm! Stunned by it, the nurse was heard asking his colleagues if they knew beforehand.
In a beautiful moment, Vargas-Cortés removed the ring from his arm and proposed to Vanderlee, who enthusiastically said yes. The hospital shared the adorable moment on its social media and then it went viral.
“It’s been a bit of a crazy year, and you know it’s been a fun ride to have you in my life,” Vargas-Cortes told Vanderlee when he proposed.
According to a CNN report, the EMS supervisor said he had had the ring for three years but was waiting for the right time to propose. “We are nearing the end of the pandemic. The vaccine is like a new chapter, ”he said, adding that he wanted it to be a surprise.
His commitment to the vaccine was like a ray of hope in a very difficult year, since in November, Vanderlee lost his grandfather to Covid-19, the New York Times reported. So when Vargas-Cortes learned that Vanderlee had volunteered for the vaccination drive, he said he thought to himself, “Well, what better chance?”
The newly hired healthcare professionals said they were touched by the “outpouring of love and support” they have received online.
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