Celebration of Emily's Life

This is part of the celebration we had for Emily last Saturday.

Remembrances: Melissa Wiczek

It is truly an honor to be up here in front of all of you, Emily’s Stars and Angels. I can not begin to comprehend all the ways Emily has touched each and every one of you here today. I wish I could tell you for the sake of being concise, an isolated moment or an event that embodied all that Emily was to me- but I can’t. For me it was living the day to day life with Emily that was the true gift. She was beautiful, intelligent, courageous, funny, a little bit opinionated, and I was truly fortunate to call her my friend.

For those who don’t know me, I am Melissa, a good friend and next door neighbor. My husband Ben and my three children, Grace, Hanna and Paul have lived next door to Pete, Emily and the boys since the fall of 2006. There is truly something special about our two homes. We have beautiful views of the mountains that surround us, nearby wooded trails for a quick hike or adventure with the kids and the majestic moose that migrate up into our yards on warm summer days. It’s in this place I hold my most cherished memories of Emily. Our children playing, a brief exchange across the fence, shared breakfast lunch or dinner, or the all time favorite roasting marshmallows in what we affectionately call the dancing circle.

Many have asked, how did you and Emily become such good friends? Honestly, I feel it was fate. When we first met, we both had newborn, baby boys which is bonding in itself. Mason and Hanna were both three years old. We were new to Park City, Emily and Pete had just moved in, from down the hill but none the less leaving their nearby neighbors and dear friends. And in true Emily fashion she embraced our family with open arms. I can still hear the enthusiasm in her voice each time she greeted me whether at the door with a hug or over the phone. It was not long before our lives were completely interwoven. There was so much common ground. Caring for our families, our ongoing quest to find an instruction manual to raising our children, a love for cooking ( even though she was much better at it than me), trying to strike that balance between career, home, self , and love for being outdoors. And so it was because of Emily and Pete that Park city began to feel like home.

One of my favorite memories with Emily, was just before Emily recieved her new heart. A bunch of girlfriends and I took Emily to see the debut of the movie sex and the city! Emily and I had not eaten so we ordered up a cheese burger and fries. In addition we brought wine, chocolate and licorice- all of which was smuggled into the movie theater including the burger. The movie was a best kind of chick flick. We laughed, we cried and consumed all the most important of food groups!

Being witness to Emily’s heart transplant, opened my eyes to the limitless strength of the human spirit and yet frailty of the human body. With every turn, I was in awe of Emily’s amazing positive attitude and perseverance. In her charming way, She would always call herself “a freak of nature”. But I think it was her way of helping us make sense and lighten the challenges that she truly faced. To that end, I will never forget the day when I witnessed for a brief moment, a crack in Emily’s armor. We were milling around at the park silly market, and had stopped at a jewelry booth to which we were strangely always drawn. At this particular booth, the women had necklaces and earrings made of stones that had certain healing properties. Emily had to know what every stone meant. It was then she asked, “do you have a stone that helps with fear”. I was silently in shock. It was at that moment my adoration for this women grew exponentially. She was human. But more importantly, she did not want us to worry. Emily allowed her spirit and faith to be her prevailing voice. What Emily put out to the world, I think was a testament of her love for all of us and her determination to heal- To be there for us, for Pete , for the boys, for other transplant candidates, and for her donor’s family.

Emily made the most of every day. Her favorite part of each day was reading to Mason and Liam before bed. She enjoyed the simple things, being with family and friends, cooking a good meal, reading the New York times, etc. The warmth of her smile and brightness of her eyes were so engaging, you couldn’t help but want soak up her radiance.

In the end, I am so blessed for having Emily as my friend, my inspiration. Life lessons learned from Emily will continue to give me strength when life presents its challenges, make me smile when I just feel like being silly, and give me peace when I take a moment and look up at our beautiful mountains. Thank you Emily. I will miss you. You will be in my heart forever.

Remembrances: Peter Foehl

On Sunday when I was walking to the neighbors to give the boys a hug, I had no idea how I was going to tell them. When I got in the house, Mason came right up to me and asked how his Mom was. And I said, “well…” And he didn’t move a muscle. I got down at eye level and I said, “Mommy died.” He paused for a moment not changing his expression, and he succinctly asked, “Does that mean it’s just me, you and Liam now?” And I just gave him a hug. However, seeing the outpouring of love and support since then and today, it’s clear to me that the three of us will always have all of you.

Emily would want you to enjoy each other’s company today, laugh a little, cry a little.

Whenever we got a large group of our friends together – most recently at Emily’s 40^th birthday party last summer – someone would say, “you have such great friends.” I know it’s cliché to say, but she would want you to introduce yourself to someone new or reconnect with an old friend today. Please do that in her honor!

We want to thank the entire staff at the University of Utah Hospital. Just before being discharged from her recent hospital stay, Emily sent a text message saying: “Again, not an April’s Fool joke! Biopsy was negative and I’m feeling great. Just walked for 45 minutes. No shortness of breath. Have all the aides and nurses laughing. (Smiley face.) So I am going HOME.”

Last week, Emily wrote a letter to her donor’s family. She wrote: “I keep praying and talking to my heart and body asking them to work together and to accept each other! Every morning when I awake and every evening when I go to sleep, I thank my donor for the gift he gave to me and my family.”

Always inquisitive and trying to grope for any explanation for her recent loss of heart function, she asked her donor family if he(her donor) had any allergies or if there was anything he detested. She said she was having no new sensations since receiving her new heart but was open to the idea of cellular memory.

Her defining characteristic was that she experienced things so deeply. If there is an art to making someone feel special, she was the master.

I am a better person today because of her.

Mason and Liam, I am your Daddy and your Mommy, and I will always take care of you. And our community will help us a lot too.

It’s okay to be sad and it might hurt right here (throat), and that’s okay.

Mommy’s spirit is in our hearts (touch heart).

She loves you today, she loves you tomorrow, and she loves you forever.

And for all of you, her spirit will be with you wherever you are.

However, as most of you know, Emily was most at peace in the mountains.

The next time you’re up in the Wasatch, it might feel a little bit different when you are on a bike, hike, or ski. You might hear the wind, and pause, and smile to yourself, “Oh yeah, that’s Emily.”