What A Difference A Year Makes

Last August, I attended the beautiful wedding of Kenya Simms and Patrick Massie at Brigalias in Sicklerville, NJ. Kenya is like family to me, and her new husband, Patrick is a very welcomed addition ;) The bride was glowing, the wedding party was absolutely gorgeous in coral and silver, and the weather was simply delightful! The ceremony was held outdoors, under a white pavilion on Brigalias perfectly manicured landscape.After the ceremony, the guests were ushered into a posh hors d'oeuvres area with everything you could possibly want to eat. Not to mention, the invitees were all dressed to the nines. My husband, my parents, and many of my family members were present and thoroughly enjoying the festivities....

But....I was sick. Yes, I was present at this momentous occasion, yet I wasn't. I wrote in a previous blog post entitled "The Story Begins...(Part V)" about how July-September 2013 were really rough for me. Those months were full of pain and turmoil, as I dealt with having abscesses from Crohn's and external lines inserted in my abdominal area to drain those rotten offenders. I attended Kenya and Patrick's wedding with two drains attached to my body, underneath the dress I had purchased just for the occasion. 

I remember the dress clearly...it was a size 2, and though it was really pretty, I cried when I bought it. It's small size was a painful reminder of just how much weight I had lost. Aside from my family, none of the guests at the wedding knew about the 'secret' abscess drains. It was, however, somewhat embarrassing to see some old friends that I hadn't seen in years. Why was it embarrassing? Because I actually looked sick. Considering that Crohn's is known as a "silent (or invisible) disease", I went for many years with very few people even knowing that I was waging war with an internal enemy. But this time, in the war between Ava and Crohn's, Crohn's was clearly winning...

I was determined to be happy on this day. I barely had enough strength to walk straight or stand for long periods of time, but here I was, in a pretty dress no less, trying to put on my best happy impersonation. This was an undoubtedly joyful event; I was elated about my friends starting a new life together. I just wish I had enough energy to get out on the dance floor and cut a rug with them. I couldn't even drink champagne, because the medicine I was taking did not mix with alcohol, and a medical emergency would've taken the focus off of the blissful couple, and onto me. As much as I like a little bubbly in my life, I couldn't have that! I did, however, pose for a few pics.

 My sisters Alfreda, Gail, Betty, niece Danielle, and me

Just me ;)

Well guys, fast forward to this year and all I can say is, "Play that song, Pharrell!!" because I truly am HAPPY. If you can't tell from the pictures I've posted thus far on this blog, I thought I'd post a pic from an event that I attended last week to show you guys just how far I've come since last August. I bought a new dress for this occasion too, but it definitely was NOT a size 2. In fact, I need to get my butt in the gym so I don't gain any more weight!

What a difference a year makes!!! Ain't God good?? Kenya and Patrick's wedding was exactly one month prior to my unplanned, unexpected proctocolectomy, which left me with a permanent ileostomy. If I had known I would look and feel as good as I do now, I would've done it sooner! (Ok...maybe not.) At any rate, I'm excited to be living my best life as an ostomate, and delighted that Kenya and Patrick are living their best lives as husband and wife, happily married.