Secondary high schools were not yet at that time available to girls in Belgium, so Van Diest travelled to Bern, Switzerland to prepare for university.

She refused this proposal and returned to Bern, since the Swiss universities were the first of Europe to open up to women and she could pursue medical studies there.

She once again returned to Belgium, however, to be able to have her medical qualifications recognized, she was forced to complete additional courses at the Free University of Brussels, open to women since 1880.

In 1902, progressively losing her eyesight, she ended her professional activities and moved to Knokke, where she passed her final years.

[4] Van Diest and Marie Popelin were together depicted on the 2 euro commemorative coin, 5 million of which were minted in 2011 by the National Bank of Belgium on the occasion of the centenary of International Women's Day.