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I am a longtime local, having moved here in 1999 with the intent of only staying for one season. Yes, you know the saying — come for a season, and stay for a lifetime.

I live in Eagle with my amazing husband and beautiful 10-year-old daughter. This community is my home. I have a strong village around me and I’m not sure I could have had the support I needed to survive and thrive through my trials and tribulations anywhere else. This place truly is a really special one. 

In 2014, my husband and I adopted our daughter after many years of infertility. Our community welcomed her with open arms. We had everything we needed to live an even more full and happy life than we could have imagined.

Then in 2017, my husband underwent an “elective” total colectomy for a genetic mutation that ended up having many complications. He spent three months in the hospital and then many days at home during recovery as his sickness prevented him from doing otherwise. Thankfully, almost eight years later, the flare-ups have lessened but we are still challenged by this life-changing surgery. 

If medical matters couldn’t have been any worse, I was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in July 2020 which had already gone to my lymph nodes. I immediately started four months of chemotherapy, followed by surgery and six weeks of radiation. Oh, but the medical complications would continue. Fast forward to June of this year when I shattered my ankle, resulting in surgery and non-weight bearing for eight weeks. 

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Throughout this whole series of events, it became clear to my husband and me how important our village of people was to us. We relied on them heavily to help provide care for our daughter, dropping off meals, and giving us shoulders to cry on. Whatever it was, they were there for us. We are the people who like to give, and we had to learn how to receive.

Aside from the assistance with basic human needs and care, we also found ourselves in a very tight spot financially. Our previous medical conditions require us to have a lot of tests done each year that we budget for, many of which unfortunately are not covered by insurance. This ankle surgery tipped us outside our budget. The Vail Valley Charitable Fund graciously stepped in and helped us out, lifting the financial burden so that we could focus on healing and return to being productive members of our community.

The Vail Valley Charitable Fund represents a village for our community. They care about this community. Their motto is “it’s all about heart” and they hold true to that. We are blessed to have an organization like this in our community to be able to give to, and also receive help from.

Thank you, Vail Valley Charitable Fund, for all you do for the Eagle River Valley.

Diana Maatsch Westering is a Vail Valley Charitable Fund grant recipient. Find out more about the Vail Valley Charitable Fund’s mission at .