After a debilitating migraine kept her from enjoying her original wedding day, Patrice Johnson was given a second chance to meet her husband Stanley at the altar, with help from the National Headache Foundation’s “Rewrite Your Day” campaign.
The morning of her wedding day, Patrice, who has more migraine days than normal ones, knew there would be trouble. “I started having symptoms of a migraine,” she says. “I continued to go on, but as the day progressed, my headache got worse.”
When you’re a busy working mom and wife, migraine or not, Patrice says her life must continue. “When I have a migraine, I’m down for the count,” she says. “My whole family stops because I am the center. We have three kids. They know when mom has a migraine. They know I’m at the bottom of my bedroom closet balled up with everything turned off. They try to cater to me. It means so much.”
“During our original first dance, my migraine was so bad, I just put my head on his shoulder,” Patrice remembers. “We had practiced and I was going to sing to him. But instead I dozed off on his shoulder. It wasn’t what I planned.” This time, they had the romantic solo dance of their dreams with family by their side, cheering them on.
“Patrice’s story hit so near and dear to my heart,” says Weiss. "I just knew my team and I had to give her a vow renewal ceremony and celebration dinner that would leave her and her husband, Stanley, with fond new wedding memories that were free of Chronic Migraine.
“The event took place at a quaint plantation in Baton Rouge called Mount Hope, and we decked out the space in beautiful bouquets of stargazer lilies, which are Patrice’s personal favorite,” says Weiss. "We also placed candles throughout the room to give it a very soft and romantic feel.
“Patrice has spent more than a decade giving back to her country and local community through serving in the Louisiana National Guard and volunteering in charities and community groups, so I am glad that I was able to give her something back,” says Weiss.