Carissa and Chris's story began at Stony Brook University Hospital in the Summer of 2021. During this time, Chris was in his third year of his anesthesia residency and Carissa was a seasoned Labor and Delivery nurse.

It was in the middle of a night shift when Chris and Carissa met, when Carissa had called him to come and perform a DPE (for all our OB/Anes friends) on a patient. It was during this night, and the subsequent night shifts thereafter where the two hit it off and they began dating shortly after.

Eventually, Carissa moved to Port Jefferson to live with Chris and brought Rex along with her, making Chris something he never imagined he would be...a proud Cat dad.

As time went on, their relationship continued to grow and it was in June of 2022, when Chris found out he matched at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for a Cardio Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship.

As the two began making plans for their big move, Chris was also making big plans to propose to Carissa.

On March 31, 2023, Chris proposed to Carissa down by the water in the Port Jefferson Harbor. A special place where the two would frequently take walks after long days in the hospital.

In July of 2023, the two moved to Franklin, Tennessee and not shortly after got their sweet puppy, Callie, making their family whole.