(Denise & her daughter, my cousin, Hillary)Let me tell you a little about her. As a young child she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and was always in and out of the hospital. After she was married, she got pregnant and the baby was still born. Then soon after she found out she couldn't have kids at all. She later adopted a beautiful girl, my cute cousin Hillary. Some years ago she found out she had multiple sclerosis. MS and diabetes are hard to have by themselves, and when you put them together, it's unbelievably rough. She is now in a wheelchair almost all the time and is still frequently in the hospital for falls and what not.
You would think someone who had all these health problems and gone through so much in a lifetime would be upset all the time. Not this woman! Now I am around people with disabilities ALL the time... But you would never even know Denise has a disability. Denise is the MOST optimistic, funny, loving person in the world. She NEVER complains about her life. NEVER. She loves her family and would literally do anything for them, even her neices and nephews.
She came up this weekend because her husband Marv was riding in the MS bike race and we all went to support him as he rode 100 miles! Denise took Geoff, Brett and I out to lunch and then we had girl time and got pedicures together. Not once did she complain about her life-- she was SO concerned for me and my happiness. She knows about how Geoff and I are going through fertility problems and she can TOTALLY relate to my feelings and it was just so refreshing to be around her. It made me forget about how "hard" my life can be and just enjoy what I DO have! I have always looked up to Denise- Ever since I was a little girl. But it has really hit me as an adult how amazing Denise really is. She has taught me so much. She is my warrior aunt and I will be forever grateful for example.
4 comments:
I loved this post! I wished I lived closer so I could stay in better touch! Denise is an amazing person! I am so glad you got to spend some time with them! I am grateful for the time I spent Utah years ago and got to know Denise and Marv better. Cami, I think about you a lot. I think you are an amazing woman, mature beyond your years! I look up to you too!
Wow! Your aunt sounds amazing! I can't imagine going through such difficult trials and maintaining such a positive attitude. I'm glad you were able to spend some time with her and what a sweet way to recognize and pay a tribute to her.
What a great post! Thanks so much for sharing that. Denise is an amazing person and every time I have been with her she is just full of smiles and her beautiful countenance just radiates! You are so lucky to have such a wonderful Aunt! Cami, I think you are such an incredible person too! I wish we lived closer so we could get to know each other better! Thanks for being such an example of strength in so many ways!
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