Hi everyone,
I hope you are all well. I missed communicating with all of my members or should I say extended family on this blog, because that is what you are to me-family.
A lot has happened since my last post… As you know I had a few medical setbacks that landed me in the hospital for 3 weeks with intense and aggressive treatment and came home to a very slow recovery. I want to thank all of you for the cards and comments during my recovery, they truly helped brighten my days.
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Well, bad days don’t last forever… A few short weeks after being home, Bob and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary.
And then we watched with pride as our only child got married the following day to his lovely bride Samantha (we never thought standing on those church steps after getting married in 1988 that 33 years later, (almost to the day) that we would be attending our son’s wedding).
We haven’t seen Michael since December 2019 – he was required to stay close to the hospital because he was always on call for his patients during the Covid 19 pandemic.
We had our son help us disinfect the hotel room because I am very vulnerable to catch any germ (which I will make another post in the future to give you hospital recommended tips for safety in a hotel). Michael is a doctor so we knew we were in good hands with his recommendations along with my transplant team recommendations.
Michael and Samantha had a lovely but small wedding at Belhurst Castle and Winery in Geneva, NY. Beautiful venue and surrounded by lots of Love and happiness and we had a wonderful wedding weekend.
Michael & Samantha were off to Hawaii the following day and Bob and I came home with new titles, “in-laws” ……
To keep me safe and abide by Covid restrictions, only immediate family members were in attendance and their wedding guests were invited by Zoom invitations so all could participate in the wedding celebration.
I would have loved to have been surrounded by family and friends to celebrate, but we had to be extra careful this year. Hopefully, I can give Michael & Samantha a one-year anniversary party and I pray the pandemic will be over and I can celebrate with family and friends.
Day 836 …. since heart transplant plus many setbacks, side effects, and bumps in the road, but I was alive & blessed to see this milestone event and all that has happened to me since transplant was worth the struggles just to get to this day. I kept thinking of my donor all day (whoever he or she is) and how grateful & truly blessed I am for yet another special gift and this wonderful new life I have – my second chance. I will concentrate on the gift of life and not the obstacles I have to face.
A day I dreamt about but never thought I would be alive to see because of my history of cardiac issues for the past 30 years and yet, here I am walking my son down the aisle………
Thanks to God, my guardian angels, my prayer warriors, my wonderful extended family blog members and a fabulous heart transplant team that worked so hard to make sure I was well enough to be released from the hospital and able to attend my son’s wedding.
God and Life is good. My best advice …. Enjoy each day. Be happy, be grateful and count your blessings. Always look for a silver lining in the bad days (it’s always there, believe me).
I wanted to share our happiness with all of you who have been by my side from the start of my journey and thank you for giving me hope, and strength, and comfort during the rough days. You are the most amazing group of people and I love you all.
Until my next post, make every day a celebration!
Dishing With Diane 
WOW Diane, even though I’ve read your FB posts along your journey, this post, with all the events put together really brought tears to my eyes! How wonderful for all of you! You bouncing back from so many issues, Bob always by your side, your handsome son and his beautiful bride all being together for a spectacular wedding! Bless all of you and I’m sure glad you’re “Dishing” again! Hugs, love and continued prayers!
On Fri, Jun 11, 2021, 8:58 PM Dishing With Diane wrote:
> aries041158 posted: ” Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. I missed > communicating with all of my members or should I say extended family on > this blog, because that is what you are to me-family. A lot has happened > since my last post… As you know I had a few medical setb” >
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Congratulations to all.. so happy for you that you were able to attend your sons wedding! It’s such a beautiful spot for a wedding! Nancy
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Thank you Nancy, It was a special that I wanted to share with my blog “family”. You are all the best group of people I have come to know. Thank you for your love and support…. stay well, Diane
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Hi Natalie, thank you. I was so grateful for everyone’s prayers and love during my journey and this recent hospitalization. I had the vaccine and it increased my immune system by 89% and the immune system recognized my heart as foreign and began to attack. I am lucky to be alive with no damage but the treatment was horrible. I was on Cloud 9 when I finally saw Michael after 2 years of not seeing him and being there next to him for his special day- All I can say is never give up hope and dreams do come true. Thank you for all your love and support and special friendship over the years. Sending you lots of Love.
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You were truly missed, Diane!
Glad you had some loving and wonderful moments to make beautiful memories! And so happy you are doing better.
Stay well, and welcome back
Susan
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Thank you, Susan, great to be back. I am feeling much better and working on posting a new “heart-healthy” recipe this week so stay tuned. Thank you for all your loving support and special friendship- both deeply appreciated. Lots of love…
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Congratulations on your son’s wedding! What a milestone to be able to be there for! So glad our prayers lifted you up and helped you feel better!
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Thank you so much. Your prayers and good wishes worked better than any medicine and the power of prayer and the love attached was amazing. Deeply appreciated from the bottom of my heart. Stay well and enjoy the blog, Diane…
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Hi, Diane. I was so glad to see your post pop up in my mailbox! Congratulations on your son’s marriage. It looks like it was a joyous occasion, and you look so happy and well. Take care, and know that there are many people in “blogland” who send support and prayers to you! Stay well and enjoy being a “mother-in-law”!
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Thank you, Rosie, I was so happy that day. I couldn’t believe I got out of the hospital just a week before. I deeply appreciate all of the prayers, love, and support- that gives me the strength to keep going. I am not used to the mother-in-law title yet- LOL — stay well, Diane
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I was so glad you were able to attend the wedding. I loved watching it on Zoom. You looked beautiful. I wish Michael and Samantha all the happiness in the world!
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Thank you, Gail, I am glad you had a front-row seat at the wedding. It was a special day for me to be there for Michael. Hoping to be healthy enough to reach more milestones.
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So happy to see your Dishing with Diane pop up in my emails! I was so happy to see that you were able to see and be part of your sons wedding and enjoy this milestone in your life, with Bob at your side. The picture of you, Bob and Michael is beautiful! You all look so happy! Continued thoughts and prayers to you, Diane the mother in law!🥰
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Thank you Linda…. this was such a special moment for me and I was truly blessed to be there. Thank you for all of your love and support over the years. We love you dearly and you are so special to us.
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Stay well.
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thank you, you as well
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Hi my dear friend,
I’m so happy to have seen this email . You are always thought of and in my daily prayers. You been thoughen it out right from the very beginning with your health and all the bumps in the road are now better. The photos are so beautiful. You were busy. Trying to feel better and have the energy to enjoy your anniversary and your sons wedding must been a challenge. I’m hoping you get a chance to visit Michael and his wife.
Enjoy the beautiful weather and all the small things that brings you happiness. Stay well my dear friend.
Love your friend always,
Sam
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Love you too Sam… it was a great day and a great blessing for me. I am so grateful that the doctors allowed me to leave the hospital to attend. Michael was so happy we were there with him for his special day. I will probably visit him in the Fall for his birthday and they will come home during the summer for a mini vacation. I am taking baby steps in recovery and working on getting stronger each day. talk soon- sending you lots of Love.
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Dear Diane, the last time I wrote to you I mention the flamingos that means so much to you. When I heard you had complications I felt terrible, and was very surprised. Today however, when I receive your email I was so happy to see such a beautiful picture of yourself and your family. Sending warm congratulations on your sons wedding and hope you have many more happy times together. By the way, I think you look like a princess. Your hair looks absolutely beautiful end up that way. I am still praying for you and your health. Sending prayers and congratulations. Margaret
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I dictated my comment, and some of the words did not come out correctly. That’s what happens with technology.
Margaret
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Thank you Margaret for your kind words and all of your love and prayers. Thank you also for your lovely compliments. I was released from the hospital a week before the wedding and purchased most of my accessories for the wedding online from the hospital bed so getting there in one piece with a complete outfit was a miracle. Your kind words just made my day, thank you. Stay well.
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Congratulations! So glad you are doing well and able to attend your sons wedding! 🙏🙏
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Thank you so much, great to be back and the wedding was a dream come true. Stay well
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