This past October, I received an email from a girlfriend of mine asking me to pray for her friend named Stephanie Vest. In early September, Stephanie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that attacks the skin called Gamma Delta Lymphoma. She and her husband Eric left for the Mayo Clinic on Sept 5th for her first round of chemo treatments leaving behind their 9 week old daughter named Gracelyn and sons Zachary (7) and Cole (4). After the first round of chemo things went quickly downhill. Stephanie had an adverse reaction to the chemo which put her into systemic organ failure which she battled to recover from for over 11 weeks. Her husband & friends (called the Prayer Warriors) started a blog to keep friends and family updated on her progress which I religiously check everyday. (It is located under my "peeps" section on my blog if you want to check it out).Stephanie's story soon became local news and their family was featured on KC's Fox4 news.
There were many fundraisers put on around the KC area to help with medical costs. These included community garage sales, "expect miracles" bracelets were made & sold along with pink t-shirts in Stephanie's name, 2008 chandelier holiday ornaments were made & sold and even the First Pink Laundry 5K Run was not only held in KC but in St. Louis as well. It is truly amazing how the community has come together to help this family.
After being hospitalized for over 3 months at the Mayo Clinic, I am saddened to say that on Dec 3rd, Stephanie lost her battle with cancer. Her funeral service is being held today.
I did not know Stephanie or her family personally, however I will never forget her or the impact that she has made on me just by reading about her life these past few months. As I read about her daily struggles she truly became an inspiration and made me realize yet again how very short life can be. Stephanie was only 34 years old. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister & friend. The joys in her life were spent with family, celebrating special occasions with her friends and decorating her home. She loved the color pink. She had a creative knack for color and style. As you can see on the left, she created a hot pink laundry room with a chandelier that she thought celebrated the beauty of completing a load of laundry. It was said that she was a kind and approachable person with a magnetic personality, and was blessed with many friends. She was an organizer and did so by putting together many social activities in her neighborhood, was the founder of her Bunko group and she formed an annual Christmas caroling group for children. Just by reading about her, you could tell Stephanie took great pride in being a wife & mother and taking care of her family.
To me, it looked like Stephanie lived with grace and dignity and had unending strength. It was as if she had the knowledge that her life was not her own but one that had been given to her for a purpose that was far greater than we could ever know. What a phenomenal woman she seemed to be! I am honored to have had the privileged with getting to know her through her blog and will forever be changed. Her experience truly makes you feel thankful and blessed for what you have. It makes you realize that the little things in life that you find annoying or upsetting aren't worth getting worked up about. Her family will continue to be in my prayers and I will never forget her and the impact she has had on so many people. I have such admiration for Stephanie, Eric and their family for the willingness to share their inspirational and heartbreaking journey these past few months with us all. Following her story gave me the chance to see how her kindness, strength, and her love of her family and friends can touch so many lives...especially those like me who didn't even know her!
In honor of her memory, I have decided to join the many others and turn my laundry room into a glamorous hot-pink laundry haven. I will definitely post pics once I am finished with it. It will be a lovely tribute to the wonderful person that Stephanie once was and a reminder to find joy in the simplest of things...even doing laundry in a pink laundry room with a chandelier :) 
Stephanie, Eric & their children
I did not know Stephanie or her family personally, however I will never forget her or the impact that she has made on me just by reading about her life these past few months. As I read about her daily struggles she truly became an inspiration and made me realize yet again how very short life can be. Stephanie was only 34 years old. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister & friend. The joys in her life were spent with family, celebrating special occasions with her friends and decorating her home. She loved the color pink. She had a creative knack for color and style. As you can see on the left, she created a hot pink laundry room with a chandelier that she thought celebrated the beauty of completing a load of laundry. It was said that she was a kind and approachable person with a magnetic personality, and was blessed with many friends. She was an organizer and did so by putting together many social activities in her neighborhood, was the founder of her Bunko group and she formed an annual Christmas caroling group for children. Just by reading about her, you could tell Stephanie took great pride in being a wife & mother and taking care of her family.
3 comments:
What an awesom blog you wrote!
Thank you for sharing this. It breaks my heart...I don't know her, yet I can't stop crying. But it also was a beautiful tribute, and reminds me of how precious life is.
Heather, this is a beautiful entry. I have an unfinished laundry room that is in need of a design. I think hot pink is in it's future too.
Such a sad thing, and it really makes you appreciate what you have.
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