Broken water derails first marriage ceremony scheduled in Tribal Court

By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor

The first marriage ceremony scheduled to take place in Tribal Court since Tribal Council resurrected the Tribal Marriage Ordinance was moved to another location because of water --- broken water.

Even in this day and age of accurate due dates and induced labor, Mother Nature can still put a monkey wrench in even the best laid plans.

Just ask Tribal member Deborah Gilbert Simmons of Independence.

She expected to give birth to her daughter in about four weeks and had scheduled to marry her fiancé, Shane Callandret, also of Independence, on Monday, March 28, in Tribal Court.

But her unborn daughter had other plans.

Simmons’ water broke at 4 a.m. and the couple traveled to Salem Health Family Birth Center, where doctors discovered that Deborah was not yet in labor. However, they were not letting Deborah leave the medical facility just to be sure.

Deborah shared with her nurse that the couple had planned to marry that day in Tribal Court. The nursing team told her it could still happen if she was interested, but in her hospital room instead.

More than a dozen hospital employees scrambled to obtain flowers and make decorations, while the hospital’s Nutrition Services Department provided snacks and drinks, non-alcoholic of course, for the impromptu wedding.

Salem Health’s Lead Chaplain Ken Morse performed the wedding after the couple had their marriage license faxed from Tribal Court to the hospital.

“They were scheduled to get married in Tribal Court at 11 a.m.,” says Tribal Court Administrator Angela Fasana. “It was the first marriage license issued since passage of the Marriage Ordinance and the first marriage ceremony scheduled.”

“I think it was absolutely amazing and a beautiful, wonderful thing that they did for my husband and me,” Deborah says.

“I thought it was really genuine of the nurses and the staff, and it’s a beautiful thing,” Shane says.

“It’s just a blessing to be able to care for families and to be able to make each part of their story happen,” says Terri McCarrell, assistant nurse manager with the Labor and Delivery Unit at Salem Health Family Birth Center.

Aponi Callandret was born less than 24 hours later at 7:14 a.m. Tuesday, March 29, and weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces and was 18 inches long. Aponi (up-pah’-nee) is Blackfoot for butterfly.

“We are humbled by all of the attention about our wedding and birth of our daughter,” the Callandrets said in a hospital press release. “We appreciate the outpouring of support by family, friends, the community and Salem Health staff.”

Salem Health produced a video about the wedding that can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSnyBsEYCg4&feature=youtu.be.