07-02-2025
They Were Best Friends — Until That Trip to Mexico
Catherine Anne Singiser and Dr. Sara Guirguis Attalla started out as work colleagues who became close friends. Then came romance.
The two met in August 2021 when Dr. Attalla joined Inspira Medical Center Vineland, a gastroenterology practice in Vineland, N.J., where Ms. Singiser is a nurse practitioner. They shared an office, and Dr. Attalla said that Ms. Singiser became her go-to person for figuring out the practice's logistics.
'Catherine had a friendly, approachable personality that made it easy to engage in mini conversations between seeing patients,' Dr. Attalla said. 'At some point, we got to talking about our personal lives and interests, but we never socialized outside of the office.'
Dr. Attalla, 41, was married to another woman at the time and was going through the process of getting a divorce (which was finalized in September 2023). 'Catherine was the first person I confided in regarding my marital issues, and she was always ready to listen,' she said.
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Dr. Attalla's and Ms. Singiser's interaction beyond the workplace began in April 2022 when they both attended a benefit for a former colleague who had died from ovarian cancer. 'Sara and I hung out there, and my friends who were also there commented on how we had a connection,' Ms. Singiser, 38, said. 'I had never been with another woman, and we both laughed off their comments.'
After the benefit, Dr. Attalla, who lived in Swedesboro, N.J., and Ms. Singiser, who lived in Pittsgrove, N.J., about 25 minutes away, began seeing each other regularly. They went to restaurants and escape rooms and cooked meals for each other in their homes.
In June 2022, Dr. Attalla took her black belt exam in American Kenpo Karate, and Ms. Singiser surprised her by attending. 'I couldn't not be there to cheer Sara on,' she said. 'She got the black belt, and we celebrated with cocktails at a local bar.'
Dr. Attalla said: 'Catherine and I were inseparable from that point on. She was my best friend who played an integral role in getting me through a very rough period in my life.'
As a thank you for her support, Dr. Attalla surprised Ms. Singiser in March 2023 with a five-day Mexican getaway to Breathless Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa. 'It was meant to be a very aboveboard vacation as friends, and Sara had gotten us a room with our own beds,' Ms. Singiser said.
Right before the trip, Dr. Attalla said that she had a dream in which Ms. Singiser was intimately embracing her. 'When I woke up, I started to see Catherine as a romantic partner rather than a friend,' Dr. Attalla said.
They spent their time in Mexico relaxing on the beach and enjoying tequila-filled dinners. However, on the last night of their trip, their relationship took an unexpected turn.
'Sara was restless in her bed, and I told her to come to mine so I could give her a hug, but we ended up kissing instead,' Ms. Singiser said. 'She told me she loved me, and I felt a whirlwind of emotion.'
After the getaway, they became a couple; by May 2023, they knew that they wanted to get married. In August 2023, Ms. Singiser moved into Dr. Attalla's house in Swedesboro, where they still live.
'We had found the ring and talked about our lives together and how we wanted to have kids but weren't officially engaged,' Ms. Singiser said. 'Sara had told me that she wanted to be the one to ask, so I was just waiting.'
Ms. Singiser, who is from Pittsgrove, has a bachelor's and a master's degree in nursing from Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.
Dr. Attalla, who grew up in Ridgewood, N.Y., holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Hunter College and a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Both remain employed by Inspira Medical Center Vineland.
Their proposal happened on May 12, 2024, at the Exit 4 Escape Rooms in Glassboro. 'I let Catherine solve the final clue. I had replaced it with a small jigsaw puzzle that read, 'Will You Marry Me?',' Dr. Attalla said.
'I knew that the proposal was coming, but I was still surprised and ecstatic,' Ms. Singiser said.
The couple planned their wedding for the next year but began trying to conceive; they had already decided that Ms. Singiser would carry their baby using a sperm donor. They are expecting a baby girl on March 22.
Dr. Attalla and Ms. Singiser wed Jan. 25 in front of 115 guests at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Mullica Hill, N.J. The Rev. Sharon Patterson, an Episcopal priest, officiated.
Ms. Singiser and Dr. Attalla have been attending services at the church since June 2023 and said that they chose to marry there because it welcomes the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
Ms. Singiser is one of nine children, and all her siblings attended, marking the first time they had been together in a decade. Dr. Attalla, whose family did not attend, was supported by her mentor, Dr. Michael Kochman, who walked her down the aisle.
'The day was filled with friends, family and lots of laughter,' Dr. Attalla said. 'We've learned that people show up when it matters, and we hope to give our daughter the love and support we've been lucky to have.'
