Missing you and it's National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.

Last September we lost a great woman, mother, friend, sister, grandmother and mom to Ovarian Cancer. This September I can't help but think about how quickly she was taken from us. Many did not have enough time to say goodbye, including myself. 

I found myself thinking about Di Oliver yesterday. Ironically, September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Maybe she was reminding me not to forget - not like I would. A lot has happened since she left and I wish I could have one more conversation to bring her up to date. Her laugh was infectious and her smile was amazing. She was the type of woman who made the party. 

Last year I was asked to speak at her memorial service. It was a tough job but I was honored. I really miss you Di, like so many others. Here was my story to share...

....For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Dana and my family has been long time friends with the Oliver family. My mom and dad have spent many Friday nights and holidays with them over the years, and by default – so have I.

 Despite my best public speaking aversion tactics, the Oliver’s asked me to share a few words about Di today - which I’m honored to do. And while I stand here in front of what seems like 5000 people staring at me from this side of the room I take comfort knowing that without a doubt - Di is out there cheering me on with that great big smile, like she’s done with every single person who was fortunate enough to be graced by her presence. 

We loved her so much. Di accepted everyone for who they were, no questions, no judgment. Di was everyone’s biggest fan. She encouraged everyone, loved everyone, and was always cheering you on… except if you were playing her in Words with friends. 

Di made friendships natural and easy, but more importantly she made life so much fun. I remember back when I was getting married I was in the process of looking for a wedding dress. After searching everywhere, I saw there was going to be an event at Filenes Basement, called “Running of the Brides. “ For those of you who don’t know what this is, let me paint you a picture…. Imagine 500 or so uptight brides and their best mates literally camped outside a department store for hours waiting for it to open so they can get their hands on an amazing designer dress at a very low cost. 

The idea is, you grab as many dresses as possible and use them to barter for the dress you really want. So the more dresses you can grab at the beginning – the better. Hence the name “Running of the Brides” Naturally I thought, well… that sounds like a great idea! So I emailed my best friends, my mom and Di to see who would join me. Of course, Di jumped in without hesitation. My girl friends eventually jumped in WITH hesitation, probably because they knew what we were getting into.   

So, we gathered the troops at about 4 am and headed into Tysons corner to get our spot in line. It was pitch black, freezing and misty outside. But we were OK! We were Ok because we were equipped with Coffee, cigarettes, beef jerky and US weekly magazines…. (Your basic dress shopping survival supplies). And we sat in line for hour after hour waiting for 9 o’clock to approach. We never seemed to run out of conversation. 

It soon became apparent that the closer it got to opening time, the more difficult it was to hold a spot in line. By a quarter till 9 the women turned into a crazy mob of bride-zillas (myself, excluded). And my friends got swallowed up in the crowd. I was convinced we were at a disadvantage – until I spotted Di. She had somehow managed to muscle her way all the way to the front of the line. When we locked eyes she had a look on her face like “Are you kidding me?!” 

When the doors opened we made a run for the racks. Everyone bolted in a different direction. I grabbed as many dresses as I could carry before trying to locate my friends.  By the way, wedding dresses…. not lightweight! 

When my mom and I finally found everyone, Di was standing in guard position in front of what seemed like a pile of dresses the size of a car and my friend Brandi was lying on top of them, face down. Apparently Di thought it would be more efficient to throw the entire RACK of dresses on the ground and Brandi followed suit by doing what I can only imagine was a swan dive on top of them to keep everyone away. I have to agree that this was probably the best method for getting the most dresses to barter with. 

I actually did buy my wedding dress that day. I bought two – but again, they were really inexpensive! Who knows what I would have been wearing to my wedding if it wasn’t for her. 
So I have to thank Di for those memories and many others I keep close to my heart. She was an extraordinary woman with an enormous heart and character. 

When it comes to Di; when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation and people want to be near you. Di was most certainly everybody’s sun.