May 22, 2024 marked a milestone in Doug’s recovery! A day anticipated by the whole floor 7SA as the medical staff championed Doug & our family’s much awaited marriage ceremony for Samantha & Cameron.
May 23, 2024 was a day we’d all been looking forward to for several months… a day which we’d hoped would be grand motivation for Doug in his recovery from transplant & efforts to regain stronger muscles. However his body & medical condition didn’t cooperate and what was meant to be motivation, at times became a burden- a seemingly unattainable goal. That is until we took a different look at how we might celebrate this joyful day. A very good friend help Samantha, Doug & I rethink his participation in the wedding day & after surfacing several options ( with the plan to keep working towards attending in person) it was settled that hosting a pre wedding gathering at UW the day before would be the best alternative.
Our motto during this phase was “Doug will still be celebrating his daughter’s wedding, but he’d be celebrating in a different way and different is ok.”
So on May 22 we were encouraged to host a small gathering in the family room on 7SA. With Cecile, John, Grace & Samantha’s help, we turned the waiting room into a lovely reception space dressing it up with linen table cloths, real dishes, flatware & stemware. The view from the picture windows provided the rest of the decor. John played instrumental music to top it off taking the atmosphere to the next level. Menu for the day: basalmic beef sliders, Caesar salad, black bean & corn salad, sparkling cider ( for the toast) & a macaroon tower for dessert ( and a birthday cake for GraceAnn).
Doug was able to attend as the strong father figure- dressed in a very snappy green-blue dress shirt and black slacks- he still cleans up pretty good! Cameron’s parents, sister & brother-in law attended as did Sam’s siblings & Ginger’s aunt & uncle. Several of the staff from 7SA also popped in to wish Doug well in his success in efforts to participate, they were truly excited for him & his hard work to
be strong enough for this event. Dr. Siblesky made a special effort to come see Doug give his speech
(sadly she missed it), but that just speaks to how invested this medical staff is to Doug’s recovery.
Doug worked diligently to pull his thoughts together-no small feat for a man regaining full metal faculties after multiple surgeries & bouts of sepsis. To his credit, Doug delivered a fine speech & blessing for the newlyweds-to-be, followed by a heartfelt Thankyou and toast by the soon-to-be groom. To top that off, Doug wrapped his daughter in a bear hug as they danced their version of the “father-daughter” dance to the tune of “Letting You Go” played be Uncle John. The lyrics hit too close to home, a recounting of a father watching his daughter grow from birth to adulthood…Doug was sure the emotions would overwhelm him if the lyrics were heard. All in all, the event was a beautiful way for Doug to be able to celebrate Samantha & Cameron- as Sam said early on, what was most important to her was not that Doug was at the ceremony but that her Dad is still here, alive & healthy.
Joy in the Journey,
Ginger
