This Friday, commoner Kate Middleton’s dreams will come true when she marries Prince William of Wales. In attendance will be Ohio University alumna Molly Gross, her dreams recently made reality by her sister and the Today show.
Two months ago, Gross’ sister Meghann Redd sent a two-minute video to the Today show explaining why her mom and sister deserved a trip to London.
Home on maternity leave, Redd said she saw the contest advertised on air and immediately thought of her younger sister.
“Molly has just always wanted to go to London,” Redd said. “She was going to go with my mom when she graduated from OU, and even though they started saving it was just a big expense.”
Redd said she decided on the spot to enter her sister in the contest, keeping it a secret.
“Lo and behold, I had a message from one of the producers on my voicemail, and they said they wanted to talk to me about my entry,” she said. “Then it just sort of snowballed from there and we ended up winning.”
Gross, a 2009 OU alumna, said she was shocked when her sister told her about the contest.
“I didn’t know all the details because it was a surprise,” she said. “I’m still kind of absorbing it and slowly figuring out all my sister did for me.”
Gross works at the Cleveland Clinic as a child life specialist.
“What Molly does for a living is one of those things that I’m just in awe of,” Redd said. “Sometimes she works with kids who are critically ill, but sometimes she has some tough stories.”
It was love for her sister that inspired her to record her entry, Redd said.
“I just really respect what she does and I thought she just deserved something great,” she said. “I wish I could afford to give her something like that, but I couldn’t.”
As if being the submitter of the winning entry wasn’t enough of a shock, there were more surprises in store, Redd said
“When they came to my house to film for the show, it was all about sending my mom and my sister,” she said. “But when we ended up winning, they announced that British Airways had seen my story and they wanted to send me as well.”
The Today show crew will be filming the women while they are in London, and they will return to the set once more when they return.
“I’m hoping I’ll be able to at least meet (Matt Lauer),” she said. “In the video my sister pointed out that Matt and I are both alums from OU, kind of as a joke.”
Excited for the upcoming trip, Gross said she can’t wait for the wedding.
“Really the reason my sister nominated me is because I’ve never been to Europe,” she said. “But I’ve always said that if I ever got the opportunity, I’d go to London first.”
cd234008@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCulture
