Lorrie Walters and her daughter Lacy came to Myrtle Beach for a girls’ weekend getaway and a birthday celebration. They ended up celebrating more “birthdays” than one.
After Lacy, who was 34 weeks pregnant at the time, found a great deal on a room at the Caribbean Resort in Myrtle Beach, they couldn't pass up the chance for some much-needed rest and relaxing at the resort. After all, the baby wasn't due for six more weeks and their hometown of Charlotte was only three hours away.
“We checked in early on Sunday and spent the day at the pool and the beach and had a nice dinner,” Lorrie recalled. “Then my daughter woke me up at 5 a.m. and said, 'I think my water broke.' This was my first grandbaby and she was coming on my birthday – Sept. 22.”
Lorrie shifted into mother mode and sprang into action, calling her doctor back home and following his orders to get Lacy to the nearest hospital. Lorrie went to the front desk of the Caribbean to get directions and ask for help while she got the car, and she got more than expected.
“I got back and there were four employees helping Lacy to the car,” Lorrie said. “They were so nice and concerned about her and made sure we got to the hospital all right. I called back a few hours later to figure out the room situation and apparently the word had gotten out. They wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl and if she was OK.”
Lacy was fine after undergoing a C-section, but baby Stella needed to be transferred to a Florence hospital better suited to treat premature infants. The last thing Lorrie needed to concern herself with was a hotel bill, and she didn't have to. The Caribbean management refunded the unused days and wished her well as she went to be by her daughter and granddaughter's sides.
“I assumed I was going to have to pay them and instead I got money back,” Lorrie said. “But it really wasn't about the money; it was the way the staff was so helpful and caring about our situation. They really went above and beyond, and we will never forget it.”
Perhaps they will even return to celebrate two birthdays again in the near future. One-month-old Stella is home and healthy and she and her mother are doing well. So is the proud grandmother. She and Stella will have one great story to tell, and a great place to visit every Sept. 22.
(Posted: 10/27/14)
