Community comes together for couple

Oct. 06--On a warm and cloudy Saturday afternoon, guests started to find seats underneath a white tent next door to The Wellhead Tavern.

The clouds above threatened to rain but waited for the bridal party to arrive.

The wedding was decorated rustic chic in white with pinkish coral accents with a three-tier cake set up near a small dance floor.

Lisa and Billy Diaz celebrated their 10th anniversary in style Sept. 24 with a vow renewal ceremony.

It looked like a normal wedding in Victoria, but there's more to this story.

It was a wedding that almost didn't happen.

Lisa Diaz was planning a vow renewal ceremony, but had given up.

Life was busy.

Her youngest son, Bentley, had just started undergoing medical treatment in Houston for a rare disease, and her husband was organizing a donation drive for Louisiana flood victims.

That's when she received a call from Glenna Fossati of the newly created event planning company, The Event Life.

Fossati said she was inspired by hearing about the family's efforts to help those severely affected by the flooding despite their own struggles.

"I immediately knew this was my way to give back to this couple," Fossati said.

Before long, she had business owners in the community willing to pitch in to give the couple an unforgettable wedding day.

"I just had to tell them their story, and there were no other questions; they wanted to help," she said.

She and her business partner, Robin Sanchez, got to work making their dream a reality.

The Event Life donated planning services and decorations, the cake came from Cookies by B out of Louise, Jenny King Photography donated photography, and Texas Rhythm provided DJ services. A barbecue meal was provided by the Vanek and Poncik families.

Amanda Wilburn, of Madame X Makeup and Timmy Windoskey, master stylist at Beehive, gave the bride and her bridal party the full glam treatment.

Wilburn and Windoskey said when they were approached about the wedding, there was no question in their minds that they would help.

"They're just good people," Wilburn said.

As an additional surprise, an anonymous donor gave the couple a 4-night, 5-day honeymoon to Puerto Rico.

Billy Diaz's family is from Puerto Rico, and they plan to go in December.

The couple's love story started about 15 years ago with a chance meeting at a mall in New York.

Both were in their mid-20s and divorced with children.

Billy said although he and Lisa are opposites at times, he ended up falling for her.

"She's stuck by me through everything," he said.

He credits his wife and their children for changing him.

The couple, now both 40, enjoys their blended family with six children.

"They taught me how to love," he said.

On Sept. 22, 2006, the couple decided to get married and went to the courthouse.

But Billy admits he always wanted a wedding and was thrilled to find out so many people cared.

"These guys are giving me the best day of my life," he said.

For the couple, the past three years were not so easy.

"We didn't know what was wrong, but we knew something wasn't right," Lisa Diaz said.

Some days her son, Bentley Diaz, would experience body aches and would feel sick. After years of testings and doctor's appointments, Bentley was finally diagnosed with a progressive genetic disorder called lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, or LAL-D.

This ultra-rare metabolic disease is a lifelong condition that causes organ damage.

People with LAL-D have an uncontrolled buildup of fatty material in their liver, blood vessel walls and other tissues because their bodies don't make enough of an enzyme called lysosomal acid lipase.

In December, an enzyme therapy called Kanuma was approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency.

That treatment came out just in time to help the 5-year-old.

Bentley was referred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where a specialist in May suggested they start Kanuma right away.

Every other Monday, the family travels to Houston for Bentley's three-hour infusion treatment. Lisa said she's thankful her job allows her those days off.

As a manager at Hilton Garden Inn, her insurance covers much of the cost of Bentley's treatment.

"We're making it right now," she said.

Bentley calls the treatment "Kanuma Matata" as a way of saying "Hakuna Matata, it means no worries" from the movie "The Lion King."

Lisa Diaz said she wants to spread awareness about LAL-D and started a Facebook page called "Life with LAL-D -- Bentley's story."

"Right now he's doing great," she said. "This kid's got energy."

Billy Diaz said that after a treatment option came through for Bentley, they felt blessed.

Billy is an independent contractor who does odd jobs while caring for Bentley at home.

Previously, he worked in the oil field industry, and at one time owned an auto detail shop.

In August, prolonged rainfall in southern parts of Louisiana caused catastrophic flooding that left thousands of homes and businesses submerged.

"Just watching it on TV and seeing that people lost everything," he said. "I didn't always have the means to do it, but I do now. I figured it's the least I could do."

He didn't have any ties to the state, but felt compelled to do something.

Already having a box trailer, he wrote a Facebook post about wanting to take some donations to flood victims.

The positive response from the Crossroads community was overwhelming, he said.

He plans to return to the Louisiana community in November with Christmas gifts.

"I never expected anything out of this," he said. "I just wanted to bless them."

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