this weekend was an emotional weekend for my family. i have two older sisters; my sister melanie got married on sunday. my sister michelle wasn’t able to attend the wedding.
she was diagnosed with leukemia last february (2006). a year and a half later, it’s been a long road of long hospital stays, late nights, trips to the emergency room, a stem cell transplant, fevers, infections, chemo, remission, triumphs, setbacks, side effects, and lots of tears. she was doing better up until about 6 weeks ago, when she was admitted back to the hospital. it was discovered she has a rare and serious bacteria infection in her lungs. while they were determining the best treatment for that, and after a series of complications, they also discovered her leukemia was back, in a small tumor in her sinus cavity. she just finished radiation for the leukemia, and is still undergoing treatment for the infection in her lungs.
we were hopeful that she would be out of the hospital in time for melanie’s wedding. her two children were Melanie’s flowergirl and ring bearer, and we wanted her to see their big debut.
once it got to the point that we were pretty certain she wasn’t going to make the wedding, Melanie began to scheme. She contacted the hospital and her pastor. She made arrangements for a faux ceremony to take place at the hospital on Saturday, the day before her actual wedding. The guys came in their tuxes, and Melanie changed into her gown. My mom brought Michelle downstairs to the chapel (she made up some story about why they had to go downstairs), and we surprised her with the mock wedding. (The real deal, minus the exchange of rings and a few other key parts). She was surprised, I think everyone cried a little at some point, and she got to see her kids in their important roles.
I love my family.
Here are some of the pictures of the evening.
walking down the aisle. michelle and her husband are in the background trying to get their son to stand up front with the big boys. 
watching my mom cry made me cry. she’s an amazing woman; she stays with michelle pretty much 24/7 whenever she’s in the hospital, which has been a good part of the last year and a half.
getting a little emotional.
dominic smiling at his mama.
dominic and ashley. how cute are they? the guy on the left with the point and shoot is my dad. he’s pretty much responsible for my love of photography.
a casual group shot. dominic kept making this face, so i had everyone indulge him for a minute for this shot. they happily obliged.
a quick portrait in the emergency room mirror in the hallway.
then a quick trip up the elevator for a cake and soda reception in one of the waiting rooms.
stay tuned for photos of their actual wedding the next day!
I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday!
