Port no more!

After a long 10 month journey through very hard times, today marks the end of that path and the beginning of another.
At 2:30 today Lisa will be getting her port out. This is a surgery that they are actually looking forward to. At times it was hard to even imagine that this day would come, but all of you out there praying for Lisa always gave her HOPE. It has been a roller coaster ride of emotions, fears and faith. This journey has made Lisa grow up faster than she should have, but it has also given her insight and maturity that God will use for His glory! We are all so happy that this day has come for you Lisa. We can't wait to watch you grow stronger and healthier. Remember this day and keep it in your heart as a reminder that God is Good, and we will also do the same.

We love you.

Lisa looked so pretty at her party last night! She sat near the door and greeted everyone that came to celebrate with her.

Picture from the Port-a party

Port a party!

Let's celebrate with a party . We are so thankful to everyone for the Love and Support that we are having a "port party removal " at the NEW Kroc Center starting @ 6 pm - 8 pm on Friday November 13th in the cedar room.
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Please join us UNLESS you are sick then please stay home .Lisa is still our bubble girl , her counts are still low and we are still waiting on the swine flu shot sometime this week .

Cancer Free

Today was the day! Today they got the results from all the test to see if they could find any cancer left in Lisa's body. Today God showed his answer to all the prayers. Today Lisa is cancer free. Today is a good day!

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Lisa is still home but is very weak and tired. They did take a trip back up to the hospital a few days ago to check her blood counts. They were still very low for the 8th day straight. With counts that low she is not able to fight off sickness, so they do not want her to go anywhere until she see the doctor again on the 28th. Hopefully her body is gaining strength and now that she is not getting more chemo she can get to a point where she can feel good all the time! Prayers are still being said for you Lisa. Get well!

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Lisa is home now. She is still weak and her counts are low, but the doctors agreed that she would probable recover better at home at this point. Good to have you home Lisa!

Lisa is still having a hard time. She has been given blood and platelets but her blood count is still down and she is feeling really sick. Her head really hurts and she is feeling pretty down. They have ruled out the swine flu, which is good, but they still have to stay at the hospital until they can get this under control. Please pray that this will be over soon and that Lisa can come home to recover.

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They have run several tests on Lisa to see what affects the chemo is having on her body. This afternoon her fever finally came down and her pain got controlled with morphine. Gail said that she was talking up a storm now, but they have to stay put until the results come back. At least she is comfortable. Hope to have you home soon , Lisa.

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Lisa had to go back to Doernbecher last night. She was having a bad bloody nose and they were waiting to see the doctor the last I heard. They requested prayer.

The doctors had warned them that Lisa would be hit hard around Thur. so hopefully she can stay strong and get past this point quickly.

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Lisa is home now after her last session of chemo. It was a pretty hard week for her. She is feeling very weak and the doctors tell them that her blood counts should drop by Thur. so they are really hoping and praying that they will not have to return to the hospital because of a fever or infection. Lisa has a doctor appt. on Fri. already scheduled so it would be nice to be able to stay home until then.

Gail said that she actually saw a smile appear on Lisa's face today. That smile has been hiding for a few weeks but we hope to see much more of it in the days to come!

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Starting the beginning of the end!

Well here we go! I think this is the first blog written about the last time Lisa has to go through something! (and if you understood that you are doing good)

The surgeries are behind her and now Lisa has started her LAST session of Chemo! Lets give a big Whoot Whoot for that.

The doctors were not even sure that Lisa was going to be able to start up with chemo quite yet because of the fluid that had settled in her lung, but when Lisa saw the doctor today he told her it was a go. She will be given a different type of chemo for this last session. It is a much stronger chemo that is often given to people whose cancer spread to the lungs. This chemo takes 5 days to be administered, as opposed to the one day that the others have been. The doctor told them that Lisa will probably get very sick from this drug, but he wanted to give her this one because after removing the cancer spot from her lung there could be little cells that broke off and could be floating around. This chemo is designed to attack them very hard. Lisa was a little scared to start this session because of how sick the doctor told her she could be, but the thought of this being the last made it alot easier to accept.

Lisa will be able to have visitors, but with the threat of the flu so strong now they are really monitoring guests. Noone under 14 is allowed and noone with a fever or any type of sickness is allowed.

It has been a long journey and Lisa has been through more than most of us will ever face in our whole lives. She has shown us what a strong and positive woman she is, and her faith in God has been a blessing to us all. There have been so many prayer said for you Lisa and I am sure so many more will be said as you start the healing and strengthening phase of your life. It will be exciting to see you go to high school and reconnect with your friends. Keep all that in your thoughts as you go through these next few days. There is an end in sight. Yeah!

ss

Without going into a long story we are home . Lisa has fluid and air in her lung and can not start chemo until they are both gone .These past four days has been very hard on her so we are glad we have a break. God is good ! We have had a couple of let's say " mess ups " from the Doctors and it has been very hard on Lisa . The fluid in her lung is very dangerous if she starts chemo so we need to wait. We had two opitions from the Doctors : Have another surgery and put another chest tube back in OR wait for this to dissolve on its own which can take several weeks.... well guess what one we picked???? We know that this is another set back but as Lisa said this morning God is good and in his time I will have my last two chemo treatments and I am going to make the best of it.

Gail

Lisa is hanging in there with faith and determination. This morning they had a little set back. When they removed the tubes that they had inserted in her lung after surgery some air got into her lung. We think" lungs are supposed to have air in them", but not like this. By the afternoon things had improved and now Lisa is preparing to start Chemo tomorrow. They hope to come home on Monday for a few days before heading back up next Wed. for the final dose of Chemo. That is so exciting.

Lets all cheer Lisa on as she enters the last legs of her treatment. Lets pray that these surgeries and the chemo has rid her body of all cancer. And let support Lisa as she strengthens and ventures on to high school. Go Lisa!

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Greetings , Lisa is doing great. She was able to walk and sit in a chair for 20 minutes and FINALLY had some GOOD sleep ! sleeping is something that does not happen up her at Doernbecher but Lisa was able to sleep 4hrs with no interuptions . Praise the Lord for this ! Lisa is healing better than expected the Doc's said yesterday that she is one tough cookie !But cautioned her that she needs to take her pain meds and that she does not have to be in any pain if she would just take them and she came back with "no pain nogain"

The Doc's said this morning that they will be taking out her chest tube on Monday morning . ouch !

Thank you for all of your encouraging notes Lisa just enjoys reading the blogs and is so touched by everyones prayers of support . Lisa told the nurses that we have alot of people praying for me and with God's help I am getting better .

Lisa got out of surgery around 5:30 yesterday. Everything went well. Today she has been feeling pretty good and they are going to try to get her up this evening. Mostly she is just glad to have all that behind her and hopefully NO MORE SURGERIES!

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Surgery today

Lisa just entered the surgery room at 11:30. I saw her last night and she seemed ready to get this behind her. She looked good and was able to hang out with Connor for awhile. She said that she went to school on Mon. but didn't go the last two days to make sure that she stayed healthy and strong for the surgery. It wears her out to spend the day at school.

As I hear more about the progress I will post it.

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Well the doctors have promised that Lisa's surgery will be this Thur. so 1 week set back is not too bad, they were worried it might be longer. Prayers are still being said for you Lisa!

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Things don't always go as planned

Lisa's surgery ended up being canceled today. Not because of problems with Lisa's health, but the health of a little boy that was in surgery ahead of them. There were some complications in that surgery and they needed extra time. I think everybody understands because they want the same attention paid to their child while they are in surgery. But, none the less, it was still hard to get all ready and then be sent home around 3:30. They do not know exactly what the plan is yet, they will talk with the Dr. tomorrow to see when they can resched. the surgery.

Having the surgery canceled may have been God's plan because Lisa's blood counts were low and it was a risk to do the surgery today. Lisa says she knows she is in God's hands and they believe that now too. It was a little hard, though, to be set back on the sched. because that just prolongs everything. So they are headed home for now.

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Surgery

Lisa's surgery will start at noon. Her counts were good yesterday, but they also want to check them again this morn. Today many prayers will be said for you Lisa.

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Surgery

Please remember Lisa in your prayers tomorrow (Thur) as she will be having surgery to remove the 4 spots in her other lung. They do not know the exact time she will go in tomorrow but we will keep you posted. We will keep you in our prayers Lisa.

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Heaven is clapping!

It was a very touching moment when Lisa got baptized today at Salem Alliance Church. Not sure there was a dry out in the sanctuary. They showed slides of Lisa, and Michelle talked about Lisa and her physical and spiritual journey. When she stepped out the of water the clapping started and it went on for a long time. So many people have heard of what Lisa has gone through and have been touched by her spirit that they were also so happy to be part of this with Lisa. I think heaven was clapping too!

On a personal note it was an extra special day to hear our pastor John Stumbo share with us some of his thoughts. To see 2 people (John and Lisa) who have gone through so much over the last year have such positive attitudes was such a blessing.

Lisa will be having surgery on her other lung on Thur. We are all praying that the Doctors will be able to get all the cancer out of her lung and that she will tolerate the surgery well and start healing quickly.

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Getting baptized!

Yesterday Lisa had 5 doctors in her room doing everything they could for her so that she would be able to leave for a little while to come back to Salem to get baptized tomorrow.

Her fever went away but she was in alot of pain. She also has about 6 sores in her mouth and has been having bloody noses. They told her that she could leave to go to the church, but then she will have to go right back after it is over. So that is good that she will make it!

We are excited to share this with you Lisa!

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I don't have much info... but Gail text last night and they were headed back up to the hospital because Lisa started running a high fever and they are requesting prayer. Hopefully they can get her fever under control. Poor girl, hang in there Lisa, you are always in our prayers.

SS

First day of High School

Lisa actually got to go to the first day of high school at West. She was so excited and had a good day, Gail said she was a wreck though! Lisa really wants to finish the week at school but it will depend on how her blood count tests come in today.

She other exciting news! Lisa will be getting baptized this Sunday at Salem Alliance Church at the 11:00 service. If any of you are able to come they would love to have you join them in this celebration!

So excited for you on both of these things, Lisa!

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She made it!

Today Lisa was supposed to start a session of chemo, but they were just not sure if she was going to be able to pass all the levels she needed to pass before she could start. She has still been having bloody noses, although not near as many or as bad as earlier. Her hand is still shaking and she has a little more energy than before, but still feels weak. They headed up to Doernbecher and after the results came in they were told that she passed by ONE point, and will be able to start chemo around 4:30 this afternoon. It will be good to have one more behind her. We are thinking and praying for you Lisa. We hope you are able to come home soon.

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Lisa is supposed to start chemo on Wed. and hopefully that will still happen, but this afternoon she started getting nose bleeds again and for some unknown reason her hand has started shaking. Gail said that Lisa is very worried about all of this starting again. Lisa is feeling very weak again, it is such an up and down roller coaster ride for her. They appreciate all your prayers and are very thankful for all of you who have cared so much.
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This was a special time up at the hospital this week , we meet an actor and two pilots from the Thurderbirds .
Lisa passed her chemo today so now we have a few days to relax and enjoy being at home before her next treatment which is Wednesday . Gail

By Gail Harder - Aug 29, 2009

By Gail Harder - Aug 29, 2009

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Greetings , Lisa woke up this morning with a HUGE smile on her face at first I did not think this was my child ( since I have not seen a smile for a couple of weeks ) it is still on her face as I am writing this tonight she told me this morning that she feels great and was ready for the next round of chemo which will start around 7 tonight . Lisa is still a little weak but I am so thrilled to see her beautiful smile again. Gail 8/26/09

08/27/09 Lisa had chemo last night. She has not been too sick yet, but the smile on her face has faded. Rest well Lisa, there is an end to all this in sight.

They received some answers about why Lisa has been so weak. Yesterday the doctors told them that Lisa has some fluid in her left lung. She just finished chemo and the doctors say it will be very hard for her to pass all the levels that she needs to pass to be able to go home. They also say that they will probably skip the next sched. chemo because that would be too hard on her body. Please pray that infection will not set in, and that Lisa will have the strength to get up and start moving around so her lung can heal.

ss

Lisa was able to start chemo. on Wed., although she was still very weak. The doctors have told them that she will have surgery on her other lung on Sept.17th, and her last session of chemo. will be Oct. 1st. Yeah, light at the end of the tunnel! You can do it Lisa!

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Lisa is home now for a few days. Although she started feeling a little better she was not well enough to start chemo so the doctors sent them home. Her white blood cell count is still very low and she is feeling weak. The plan is to start chemo again this Wed. but that is still all up in the air depending on her blood count. While she was so sick and running a fever they ran a bunch of tests on Lisa, all of them came back normal. I guess that means that there was not something abnormal going on to make her sick, she was just sick from other things. That was a big relief. So for now Lisa is resting at home.

ss

Lisa is feeling much better today. Her fever is gone and she has even cracked a smile or two. She was able to eat some Lucky Charms. Yum! Her counts were still not good enough to start chemo, but it is nice that she is just feeling better.

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Lisa slept pretty good last but this morning she spiked a fever again. She is very weak and worn out. She is having some swelling and her lip is pretty big. They have run several tests on Lisa and they will be letting the family know the results tomorrow. Everyone is feeling pretty anxious about the results because she has been so sick. We are all praying for you Lisa!

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Still having a hard time

Gail just let me know that Lisa is having a hard time still and is very worn out. She is still running a high fever. Please pray that this will get under control.

Lisa has been sick today and not really been able to eat. They are hoping that by dinner she will be able to eat a little something and keep it down. She is scheduled for chemo on Wed. but that is up in the air, as they do not not have the results of some test they ran and her blood counts are low. She is feeling very weak, they have painting that the kids can do and Lisa tried to paint a picture today but could only do it for about 10 min. and had to put it down because she just didn't have the energy and strength to be up.
This infection that she has gotten has really zapped her. She is on 2 different antibiotics but is still getting fevers. The fevers come and go. Right now she does not have one, but she has spiked a fever twice today. This is hard and frustrating, the end of chemo is in sight and they just want to move on. Pray for healing and strength.

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up date

I got a text from Gail about 6:45 pm that said that Lisa's temp was back up to 103.3, and they were very worried. Just when they thought she was getting better the fever spiked again. She was given blood about 1:00 this afternoon and that went well. As I was getting home Gail texted again and said that her fever went back down around 8:00 pm and that she is starting to feel better. Her prayer is that God will help her appetite pick back up so that she will feel like eating and gain her strength back.
We are all praying for you Lisa, Hang in there.

ss

Update

Lisa is doing a little better. Her blood pressure is up, but not enough to be out of the woods.

Urgent Prayer Needed

I just received a message from Gail that said that Lisa is not doing well. She has gravely low blood pressure and need 2 units of blood but can not receive it until her pressure comes up. If her pressure does not come up as they are hoping she will have to be admitted into the ICU. Her temperature is going back down but she is still a sick little girl. It is amazing how quickly things can change. She had such a good day on Sat. while sitting at the garage sale and we saw lots of smiles. Pray that she will be back to that soon.

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Back to the hospital

Tonight was going to be a fun night at the Volcano's game. It was cancer awareness night and the Harder's were going to get to sit in the owners box, but Lisa started getting nose bleeds and her temperature got to the level where she needed to go back to Doernbecher. They left about 4 and plan to stay until Lisa starts chemo on Wed. So pray that they can get all these symptom under control and she will be healthy enough to start chemo. I have not heard anything about surgery on her other lung, but I am sure that they will be discussing that with the doctors while they are up there.

Also a big thank you to all who donated and shopped at the Hope for Lisa garage sale. It was a big sucess.

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The pathology results have come in on the spots they removed from Lisa's lungs. 4 of the 6 spots they removed were cancer. Those 4 spots were 95 percent dead. This was such a relief to the family and they were so glad that the chemo had worked so well.

There will be a garage sale Sat. as a fund raiser for Lisa. It will be at 2510 Brush College Rd NW. Next door to their house. Stop by to say hi, who knows you might even find a treasure!

GARAGE SALE

There will be a "Hope for Lisa" garage sale this Sat. from 9 to 4. It will be held next door to the Harders house at 2510 Brush College Rd. We would love to see all of you come and shop and if you have any "junk" that you have been wanting to get rid of but can't bear to have your own garage sale, why not donate it to the "hope for Lisa" garage sale! Drop any donations off at the Harders or next door at 2510 Brush College Rd. You can put them on the back porch of no one is home. Thanks!

Lisa came home on Fri. afternoon after having lung surgery and a session of chemo. She is doing well, moving a little slower and speaking a little softer, but that is to be expected. She came home to a nice surprise.... She has a newly decorated room! This was a total surprise for her and she says it is now her "dream room!" I will post some pictures of it soon.

Gail writes.....

We have moved to 10 south cancer ward this afternoon. The Doc's was going to start chemo today but I asked to wait one day after yesterday she desevered to have ONE day of rest and was totally shocked they all agreed with me. Lisa is slowly come off the strong pain meds so she is a little on edge but she knows and is trying to be nice and happy . so far so good ..... So as I am writing this Lisa is painting a horse out in the pasture and is enjoying have paint on her hands and a little on the face . Grandma is relaxing & reading the newspaper . I am just enjoying this 70 degree room and watching life flight land on top of OHSU we have the perfect view !
Tomorrow we find out the results of the surgery at least that is what they are telling us.

Lisa was a very brave girl today !!!! The Doc's took out all three tubes today she is tube free ! The tests came back normal no infections . We find out the surgery results sometime tomorrow .Lisa wants everyone to know that she could not have gone through this surgery without all of your prayers she says thank you very much !

Gail

Message from Gail

The last couple of days has taken a toll on Lisa from high fever to having tubes fall out & put back in to struggling to breath . But things are starting to look better for her. Yesterday Lisa starting running a high fever ( but broke finally ) the Doc's ran a bunch of tests and as of yet the ones that are coming back are looking normal but will find out tonight around 7 pm the (big one ) if she has an infection in her port. We are praying alot ! All of Lisa's veins in her arms and hands have collasped ( thanks to chemo ) and she has no more to give, even the ones in her legs and feet are shot the port is all that is left.

Tomorrow ( monday ) will be a HUGE day, the Doc's will run a test on her lung. If it does not collaspe then they will take out all 3 tubes . Remember she is 14 and is scared of this test along will Grandma and I and Gordon so please pray that we will be

ready and nothing will go wrong.

doing good!

Gail called this morning and said that Lisa is doing well. She is still dealing with some pain, of course, but is handling so bravely! They thought they might be up there for 2 weeks, but it looks like maybe it will not be that long.
We sent Lisa pictures of her cat and dog on her cell phone because she misses them as much as they miss her! We hope you get to come home soon!

ss

Lisa's surgery that was supposed to started at 12:30, kept getting pushed back and did not start until about 3:30. The Doctors said that the surgery went well and they removed the 6 spots that were in her left lung. They were cancerous spots, but I don't know any more information on them then that. The doctor said that they do plan on going into the other lung in a few weeks to remove the spots that they see in there. Lisa was struggling with pain in the recovery room, but hopefully they have gotten that under control for her now.

Our prayers are with you Lisa.

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Pray during Lisa's lung surgery!

Tomorrow morning (Thur.) Lisa will head up to the hospital for surgery on one of her lungs. They plan to do the surgery at 12:30 and expect it to last a few hours. They will try to remove the spots of cancer, and once they know the outcome of this surgery they will make plans for the other lung.

This is a big surgery for Lisa, please pray for the doctors doing the surgery as well as Lisa and her family. They have been told that there is more than 10 spots in her lungs now and that they seem to be growing, but they have also been told other things by other doctors. It is not always easy to understand everything that you are being told, anyway, in stressful times like these, but the differing opinions from the doctors is making it more stressful. We understand that there is no exact answer for some of the questions they have but pray that the team of doctors will be able to give the Harders a clearer picture of things.

They think that Lisa will be at the hospital for about 2 weeks, so I sure they would love to have visitors to pass the time. I will try to make a post when they are ready for visitors.

We will all be praying for you Lisa!

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Lisa had to go back to Doernbecher today because she was feeling so weak and had 4 bloody noses. When she arrived they determined that she needed to be given blood plateletts, but the problem was that they did not have a match for her in the hospital. This was so discouraging. The doctors contacted the Red Cross to see if they could bring in a match. Thankfully they were able to find a match and it was given to Lisa. This helped her enough to be able to go back home. Pray for continued strength and healing as she waits for her upcoming surgery.

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surgery news

I think it feels like 1 step forward and 2 steps back right now. The Harders headed back to Doernbecher this morning to check Lisa in for the next session of chemo. But the frustrating news was that her body was not ready. Lisa's blood platelets were too low, this causes her to be very weak and get the bloody noses. She just had not healed enough from the last round to start this round. The doctor then suggested that they go ahead and do the surgery on Lisa's lungs this Thur. That is the night of the Volcano's baseball game where they are doing all kinds of neat things for Randy and Lisa, and neither Gail or Lisa wanted to miss that, the doctor agreed and they scheduled Lisa's surgery for the 23rd.

This will give Lisa a chunk of time to be off chemo and build some strength for her surgery, but it also prolongs the whole process. The light at the end of the tunnel, as far a chemo goes, just keeps getting farther away.

They will be operating on only one of Lisa's lungs on the 23rd. They will go in from her side and take out all the cancer spots in that lung. The spots will then be tested. They are so praying that they are all dead. The results of that test will determine their next step.

Pray for strength, both physically and mentally, for all the Harders. This is overwhelming and lack of sleep is often an issue. Gail is up at the hospital every night Lisa is there and she sleeps in a window seat. Gail's mom, sister or Gordan are up there with her also. The recliner beside the bed is where the other person sleeps, so as you can imagine the days they get to be home are treasured for sleeping their own bed too.

They would love to see you all at the Volcanos game. There is also a car wash at West Coast Bank in West Salem this Sat. Come support Randy and Lisa.

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A little visit with Lisa

I saw Lisa today, and she looked good. Basically today they are playing the waiting game, hoping that Lisa's levels of chemo reach the point where she can go home. It did not look like it would be today, but probably tomorrow.

The are definitely going to do surgery on her lungs to remove the spots. They don't have an exact date but it looks like it will be the toward the end of this month. They are praying that they have all been zapped by the chemo and they are not living cancer cells.

The results came back on the scan that they did on Lisa's lungs. They found a total of 10 cancer spots in both of her lungs. This has been very hard news and the family has had a difficult day. Please pray for them as they talk with the doctors on what this will mean for lisa's treatment.

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Prayers for Lisa

Lisa started chemo about 6 pm on Mon. evening, and it was supposed to go for about 4 hours.
But there was a little change of plans today... They decided to go ahead with the scan of Lisa's lungs . In the past they have seen anywhere between 1 and 6 spots in her lungs. Lisa has gone through extensive chemo since they last looked at her lungs and the family is praying for a miracle and healing. They will not know the results for a day or 2, but if anything is found they will need to do surgery to remove it.
Of course Lisa and her family are anxious about the results, but they are trusting God and would appreciate your prayers.

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Gail turns the big 50! (almost)

Lisa came home from the hospital on Fri. evening, just in time for the 4th of July. She was feeling pretty down thinking that she may have to spend the 4th in the hospital, but when she passed the level of chemo left in her system and could go home she perked right up!
Debbie, Gails sister, is here to visit and help out where ever she is needed. Well I guess she was needed to throw a little surprise party for Gail, who will be turning 50 in a few weeks. Family and a few friends met down at Walleries on the afternoon of the 4th to try to surprise Gail with a Birthday party. Pretty sure it was not a surprise, but it still was a party!!! Gail received all the appropriate "over the hill" gifts, which she said she is eager to pass on to the next victim who turns 50. So Happy early birthday Gail.
Tomorrow Lisa will head back up to Doernbecker for 6 weeks of chemo in a row. They told her is it likely that she will have to stay up there much of they time, since there is only a few days in between sessions. If they do get to come home is will be for a short time and they will have to head right back up. So keep Lisa in your prayers, and now that is is summer they might enjoy some visitor up there! As always it is best to give a call, because they are never sure how Lisa will be doing after each dose of chemo. Stay strong Lisa, the end is in sight.

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Lisa has a new sister!

No Gail did not have another baby, but her baby Kyle got married on Sunday! Congrats Kyle and Audre. It was a nice wedding and Lisa looked so pretty as a bridesmaid! We are so glad that it all worked out. The doctors let her postpone her chemo treatment for a week so she could be in the wedding. After the ceremony they had some food and then the dancing started.Kyle and Gail did a mother/son dance with sun glasses on, I suspect to hide the "mother tears". Kyle did alot of funky dancing but I thought the sweetest was when Kyle asked Lisa for a slow dance!

The next day Lisa left for Doernbecher to start chemo. She really enjoyed the time off but it is really important to stay on track so that the chemo can do its job. They have decided to postpone the scan on hr lungs until the end of July. If they need to do anything about her lungs they won't do it until after chemo is over the first week of Sept. anyway. They will probably be up at the hospital for a few more days now, and when they do get to come home it will be such a short time because they have these treatments very close together.

Glad you got to enjoy the wedding day, Lisa.

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Hope for Lisa Team

message from Lisa, Today!

Hi , I am feeling pretty great . Last night we were at the Relay for Cancer Survivors my cousin's Jamie Bennett and Jessie Donath walked for the cause they were on the Capital Manor team , I want to thank you so much it meant alot to me . Also I want to thankChris and his wife Sabrnia and Josh my hero for walking for the cause as well . Today I went to my future sister in law's bridal shower it was alot of fun . I can not wait to have Audre as my sister she is so beautiful . Thank you everyone for all of the prayers and support it means alot when I am in the hosptial and at home and I read the messages . Happy Father's Day Daddy I love you Lisa

message from Gail- yesterday

Hello everyone , The last three days has been so hard on Lisa's body but we are happy to be home again we left late last night and was home around 10 but was back up there this morning for more tests . Lisa's body has gotten 3 units of blood and 3 units of platelets and some powerful drugs for her infection . All of the tests came back negative for infection which we were so thankful for , and the removal of the balloon Tuesday afternoon . Today they are trying to figure out why Lisa's platelets are dropping again but are hopeful that with todays platelets and the new blood it will start rising we have another appt Friday for more blood work . The HUGE balloon We had 4 Doctors in the room for the proceedure 3 of the Doctors said WOW unblievable and the 4th one ( she is the one that removed the balloon ) said that Lisa should of never had that up her nose it was tooooooo big . That balloon was 4 inches long . The Doctors could not understand why she had no drugs when that balloon went up her nose , But all said Lisa you are such a strong and brave girl. Today while we were up at Doernbechers we stopped by and saw Randy who is doing pretty good but told us that Ian passed away last night . When we left the hospital I asked Lisa how she was feeling she looked at me and said she was sad for Ian's parents but know Ian is in no more pain and will be seeing him again in heaven . HOPE is what we have !

Sorry about the last post getting cut off yesterday. I think I have fixed it so it is totally readable. I understand Lisa is still having a hard time today. She is still up at the hospital and is having problems with her nose bleeding still. They have scheduled Lisa to receive platelets ( which will help her blood to clot at a normal rate) at 2:00 am. Lisa continues to fight a fever and they suspect an infection somewhere, but have not quite figured out where yet. They are also talking about needing to do a skin graft on her shoulder because she is having problems with the skin splitting.

So as you can see there are several things that you can pray about for Lisa . I will try to keep a little more current on the blog while Lisa is at the hospital. (I have been in Calf. for my daughters surgery). I am still thinking about you Lisa and pray for you often. Keep strong, you can get past this.

Thrusday June 11th Our day started with my Dad ( Lisa's Grandpa ) 81st birthday . We found out that Dusty and Darci are going to have a BOY . Lisa cried she was so happy for them . Lisa's graduation .... Lisa is now a 8 th grade graduate ! It was a amazing night and a tearful one . Lisa looked beautiful !!! I will put some pictures of this event on this blog soon . Lisa wore this pretty dress and decided to go " as her self " no wig . When they announced Lisa's name they gave Lisa a standing 4 minute ovation . Lisa was so grateful that she cried and said later that she could not believe that her class mates & everyone in the gym did that for her and in that moment she felt so grateful and so much love by everyone in the gym. TODAY Saturday Lisa started the day with a nose bleed which happens quite often . But then 2 hrs later the BIG ONE came . I called Doernbecker after 15 minutes and they had me ice her nose and pinch her nose in a different spot for 20 minutes and call back. 5 minutes into it blood started gushing out of her mouth so I called the Dr and he said get down to Salem Hospital . Everyone that would come in Lisa's room she would ask them if they knew Randy and then she would tell them about him. It was so important to her to find out if anyone at this hospital has ever heard of him or knew him . The Dr tried cotterizing which did not work and packed it which was extremely painful for Lisa. The Dr said this is a very painful proceedure and was very proud of Lisa for letting him do it with no drugs she is amazing . after all of that ..the IV nurse came in and tried to access her port after 2 tries I asked the nurse stop and get another IV nurse so they brought another nurse in I asked her if she has worked with ports she said " all the time " well 3rd try failed by now blood is in her port and Lisa is VERY BRUISED but they have to flush her or the port would be ruined . The IV nurse looked at me and tears running down my face and Gordon standing helpless and Lisa is crying the nurse said please let me try again I looked at Lisa and she said God please help me and the nurse got it in . Lisa said Thank you God .They were able to flush the port and take 3 viles of blood and start giving her pain meds and IV quickly . within an hour the tests came back that her platelets her low so she got one unit of platelets . They also did a culture of her red sores on her leg they do not seem to be getting better since she started augmentin last Wednesday the Dr wanted to make sure that she does not have another infection ( staff ) so we will find out the results in a couple of days . Lisa is still very weak and tired but we are so thankful we are home .

Crazy!

Lisa Graduates! (middle school, that is)

Greetings ,Lisa is doing so good since coming home late Friday night . She is still a little weak from the chemo but she has her beautiful smile on her face. Lisa is so happy that her Grandma Verdie is home . Lisa smiles and says Grandma and I have beautiful bald heads .We are heading up to Portland on Wednesday for blood counts and to check in with Randy who is getting chemo treatment .Lisa is graduating from the 8th grade this Thursday everyone is welcome to come for this wonderful celebration @ 6 pm West Salem please call us at home if would like for us to save you a seat.Thank you all for all of the encouraging cards and emails and prayers .Lisa , Gordon and Gail

Volcanoes Game Tickets

-Thursday, July 16th Volcanoes game
-$14 tickets being sold for $10 at Bumbles Boutique and Copy Cats both in West Salem

Ticket holders will get a baseball
Randy and Lisa will get a jersey and throw the first pitches.
Please buy your tickets soon to support their cancer funds!!!

Lisa and her volleyball buddies.

Message from Gail

We are now starting chemo. We almost did not get in today because of a full hospital but one child was able to go home late this afternoon so we got his room thank goodness . Lisa has a HUGE smile on her face that just will not wipe off we are happy to say that this is the very last time that Lisa will have this BAD chemo called cisplatin . This is the chemo that gives real bad mouth sores , makes her real sick, aches and pains ,and usually so low on counts that she has to get some blood. Lisa is excited to be finally done with this one on Friday We only have 13 weeks left of chemo ! Lisa was telling me today that her purpose up here at this hospital is that she wants people to see God shine through her . Lisa is true Angel up here always praying for chemo buddies and trying to have a postitive additude .
She has HOPE !

Lisa's home!

Gail and Lisa got home about 9:00pm tonight! It was not looking like Lisa was going to be able to come home today, she had her blood drawn this morning and at 2 they got the results that she had not passed. As you can imagine this did not make anyone happy. At this point they want to spend as little time as possible in the hospital. At a little before 4 the doctor came into the room and said he wanted to draw her blood again to check her levels. They had to have the blood to the lab by 4 in order for the results to come back today, so everyone was rushing. Thankfully this time Lisa passed and was released to go home! The dog and the cat were very happy to see them and Gail and Lisa were so happy to spend the night in their own beds! Another one down!

What a beautiful weekend it was! Lisa came home from Portland on Sunday; she had passed all the tests and was released to go home. It was pretty hard to go back up there and start all of this again. I am sure it is all getting really old and she knows what is coming so she dreads it even more. They also found out that instead of 2 weeks between each grouping of chemo she will only have 1 week. That was hard to hear too. The Doctors want to make the most of this chemo after the surgery to make sure that the cancer gets a hard hit.
One bit of good news was that the doctors told Lisa that she can delay chemo by 1 week at the end of June so that she can be a bridesmaid in Kyle’s wedding. She was really excited about that!
Tomorrow Lisa will go back to Doernbecher to start chemo again. Keep her in your prayers that she will not get too sick and that also her spirits will stay up!

old friends

Fishing last week before chemo statrted again. Lisa went out on D lake with her brothers and caught the first fish!

Today chemo starts up again for Lisa. The break from chemo went way too fast, but I guess the sooner they start up again the sooner it will all be over. They will head up to Doenbecher today and probably start chemo late afternoon. It is a 4 hour session but this is the type of chemo that she will have to stay at the hospital until the level of chemo in her system reaches a certain level. They expect she will come home on Sunday, if she follows the same pattern that she did before her surgery. She will follow that schedule 3 weeks in a row.
There are a few things coming up:
At the end of June they will do a scan on Lisa’s lungs. If they see anything in her lungs they will have to do surgery remove it. That would be a pretty big surgery, so they are praying that her lungs will be clean.
On June 28th Lisa’s brother Kyle is getting married. Lisa has been asked to be a bridesmaid and she is very excited about being in the wedding. Unfortunately, the date of the wedding falls smack dab in the middle of a session of chemo. If she is in the middle of chemo she will probably be to sick. They are going to run it by the doctors to see if that session of chemo could be put off 1 week, but ultimately they will do what is best for Lisa and making her well.
ss

Battle Scars

Lisa let me takepictures of some of the scars from her surgery, what a good sport!

Lisa took her weekly trip up to Portland on wed. to have her blood checked. They determined that her platelets were low so Gail will need to watch her closely for mouth sores and burses. If they continue to be low they may have to do a blood transfusion before they can start the next session of chemo. But over all she is doing well and is heading to the beach with her family for the weekend.
Lisa did have some surprise visitors they other day. Gordan and Lisa were sitting outside when who should come trotting down the road…..the 4 horses from down the road that Lisa spent so much time with before she got sick. Somehow they got loose from their corral and decided to eat the grass that was greener on the other side and to have a little with Lisa. We think they missed her as much as she missed them. So they visited a little and then the naughty horses had to go home!

Blessings

Happy Mothers Day! It was a nice day. I had the chance to see Lisa on Saturday and she looked really good. All the heavy bandages were off of her shoulder and I could see her newly reconstructed shoulder and the scars that tell her story. Everything looked like it was healing well. She still has her arm in a sling and her leg in a boot, but all the tubes are gone. She made it though the first session of chemo without too much trouble, just the normal sick to the stomach feelings and fatigue. She had to go back on Wed. to have her levels checked and everything was fine. So now she will be home until the next round of chemo.
Gail told me a story that she wanted to share: this happened on the way back from Doernbecher last Wed. Gail and Lisa stopped by Washington Square for a little shopping on the way home. Lisa had been wanting to try some of the facial products call pro Active that they sell in a little booth in the mall. They found the booth and were discussing the purchase when Gail noticed a well dressed man in a wheelchair near by. She could see that he was approaching them so she turned to him. He asked if she was buying the face products for her daughter, and Gail answered “Yes.” He then reached out his hand and offered her a $100.00 bill. It took Gail off guard, but then she said “No, that’s okay, we can get it.” He insisted, and handed the money to them. That was more than enough to buy the products, but that was not the point. Who knows what the story is of the well dressed man in the wheelchair, but something must have touched his heart when he saw Lisa with her bald head in her wheelchair. For Lisa and Gail it was a reminder that God is taking care of them, a reminder of all the blessings that they have already received from so many people and a reminder when all of this is behind them to give back to someone else who is going through hard times. I think that is a good lesson for all of use no matter where we are in life.

Sorry about the lack of entries lately. Life has been a little crazy. Our daughter, Brittany, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and work has been so busy. But the good news is that Lisa is doing really well. She finished her first round of chemo and has been home for several days. She is tired and still sore, as you would expect from the extensive surgery she had, but overall things are going well. I believe it will be about 2 weeks before she goes back for chemo again.

On a fun note: There are some really cute brown T-shirts that have been ordered that say “Hope for Lisa” in pink on the front. The back of the shirt has Isaiah 40:31 on it, which is Lisa’s favorite verse. They are only $10.00! If you would like one, or know someone who might, call Sherry Austin at 503-949-8159.

message from Gail from a few days ago

Greetings to you all ,
Praise God for he is good .
Lisa started Chemo again last week we came home Friday night around 11:30 Lisa wanted to come home and enjoy her weekend !
She is doing pretty well just a little sick but still very weak from her surgery . Her scars are healing pretty well and she only complains about the one on her back which is 9 inches long it seems that a little fluid is building up where the muscle was removed and will be sore for some time .
The Doctor will see her on her next around of Chemo and will decide if her brace on her leg can come off. Lisa is a little worried because her big toe is still num and does not move the Dr told us that she might have to wear a toe brace because with her big toe num she can trip real easy and fall.
We are so thankfull for all of your prayers on Darci Too . Darci's surgery went well and she and the baby are doing well she is sore but is thankful that the surgery is over with and she can now enjoy her pregancy . Darci is now having morning sickness which is good news !
Thank you for all of your prayers and love

Lets give a big “whoot whoot” and” Praise the Lord”! The doctors gave Lisa a very good report. The cancerous tumor that they took out of Lisa’s shoulder was 95% dead from the chemo. That is really amazing news. Gail had been hearing of other kids on that ward coming out of surgery and their cancer was only 30% to 60% dead. They feel very fortunate. During the surgery they cut out an area larger than the tumor, they test to see if there were any cancer cells in the margin area. That report came back that there were zero. There is also the issue of the cancer spots in her lungs. The doctors hope that because the other area were 95% dead that the spots in her lungs will also be 95% dead. They will perform a CT Scan in 2 months to take a look and evaluate what steps they will need to take.
Soooo this means: Lisa will be doing the 18 week chemo! They will start that today. Because of the surgery, this session will be a little lighter. They don’t want to make her too weak while her body is trying to heal. In 3 weeks she will have another session and that one will be more aggressive.
We are so happy for you Lisa!

Tomorrow will be a big day for Lisa. After having several weeks off of chemo, the whole process will start all over again. On Wed. they will head back up to Doernbecher to first meet with the doctors to hear the results of the pathology and then to start a new session of chemo. The results of the pathology will determine the course of the chemo that Lisa will have to have. The doctor had mentioned when the surgery was over that everything looked really good and the tumor appeared to be dead. If that truly is the case then the chemo that Lisa will be a administered will be much less harsh and will follow a much shorter schedule.
Lisa has been doing really well in her recovery. Her appetite has been good and the physical therapy has progressed really well. She is strong going into chemo, so that will be a big advantage for her.
Pray that the cancer is completely dead and that it was all removed during surgery. Pray for lighter chemo and that Lisa will keep her strength up. Here we go again…..

Lisa was watching her brothers and dad hit golf balls into the back field. (yes that is a sock monkey on her head! so cute, isn't it!)

Enjoying a little time outside while recovering from surgery.

A big thank you to all of you who participated in the Figaro’s fundraiser for Lisa and Randy, it was a big success! Lisa and her family stopped by the West Salem Figaro’s to get their pizza around 5:00, and stayed for awhile to say “Hi” and visit with friends that came to support them by eating pizza for dinner! The owner of Figaro’s were so friendly and great, they even came out to pose in some pictures with Lisa. I was most impressed with who ever was in the big heavy Figaro man suit standing out on the curb in the 80 degree weather waving to people to let them know of the fundraiser! What a trooper!
If you saw Lisa that night you would have noticed the new hair-do she was sporting. Just the day before she received another wig, the first one was shorter and blond, and this one was dark and long! Both look equally stunning! Lisa was in a wheelchair with a boot on her leg and a big splint on her arm. There are still a few tubes sticking out, but overall she looked really good. She is able to walk a little on the boot, but has to be very careful. Of course, she is still on quite a bit of pain medication so with the recovery and the pain meds she wears out pretty fast.
Lisa still has about a week off before starting the next rounds of chemo. They are treasuring this time. As of now, they have not heard the results of the pathology that will determine the course of this chemo. There are several options and they hope they get to go the route of the one that last for 18 weeks. If not, there are also chemo sessions that last around 24, 36 and 48 weeks.
So again, thanks to all of you who follow this blog and are so faithful to pray and support Lisa.

Hungry for pizza? Stop by Figeros pizza tonight. Figeros is donating 50% of all proceeds tonight to Lisa and Randy, so come support the kids and also Figero’s. I heard rumor that Lisa will be at the West Salem Figeros for a while around 4:30 so stop in early and you might get to say Hi!

Lisa was able to come home last night! While she was in the hospital they spent many hours working with her each day doing physical therapy. While this was painful and exhausting, Lisa stuck with it and worked hard. After 2 sessions yesterday, that doctors decided she had made enough progress and was stable enough that she could continue the therapy at home. Gordon and Gail decided to take Lisa home to Grandma Willis's house for a little while so that Grandma could help with the therapy. The doctors showed both Gail and Grandma what needed to be done while at home.
Lisa is still on pretty heavy pain killers, as you can imagine. Gail described to me what Lisa was dealing with now. She has a scar from her knee to her ankle, a scar from her shoulder to her lower back and a scar from her shoulder to her elbow. I would say that pretty much covers close to every part of her body and I can hardly imagine how painful that would be.
They are waiting on the results of the pathology to see what the chemo did to the cancer. They should know that next week. It looked really hopeful to the doctors that the chemo had done it's job, which would mean that Lisa would get to have the milder chemo for the next 18 weeks instead of what she just finished with.
The family knows the fight is not over, but I think they have all had a collective sigh of relief to be past this hump. The doctors will still be watching the spots in Lisa's lungs and will probably determine what steps need to be taken toward those after the pathology reports come in.
We are just praying that everyday Lisa will get stronger and her body will heal. Hang in there Lisa!

The doctors are very pleased with the results of the surgery so far. The healing process can take a long time, but Lisa is off to a good start. The doctors had her sit up in bed yesterday and she even stood up for a little bit. It was pretty painful to move around like that, but Lisa was a real trooper and pushed through the pain to do what the doctors needed her to do.
Lisa had a plastic surgeon work on her leg during the surgery to close up the site where they removed the bone. This is just an example of how caring the doctors are… He told them that he spent twice as long on her leg because when she went to the Prom in a few years he wanted it to look perfect. Pretty sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the room at that monent.
They are thankful to all the staff for the great care they have received.

I just wanted to give you a quick update: Lisa's surgery went really well. I believe it was about an hour shorter than they expected. The doctor said that he got all of the cancer from Lisa's shoulder and what was there appeared to be dead. That was amazing news! They will send the tissue off to pathology for further tests, but for now we are all thanking God that everything looks good. They got to see Lisa in recovery and Connor came home saying that she acted just like herself, so not sure exactly what that meant cuz I have seen Connor and Lisa act pretty goofy! I bet she is just glad that it is over, and so are we! Get well Lisa!

ss

The morning was filled with mixed emotions. Much of the family and several friends gathered at OHSU Hospital before Lisa's surgery to support Lisa and her parents. They were all glad that finally the doctors would remove the cancer that had taken over Lisa's shoulder, but they were also anxious. The surgery to remove the cancer also means that they will remove a bone from her leg and muscle from her back to rebuild her shoulder. This will mark a milestone in the process, but also bring on a new set of challenges. Lisa will have to wear a brace on her leg and it will be harder for her to get around. Her body will be very sore and she will need to stay strong to fight off any infections. But everyone is ready for the next phase...out with the old, in with the new!
By about 2:00 they had removed the cancer and also the bone from her leg and started the reconstruction process. Lisa is doing well during surgery and the family is holding up "ok". Keep them in your prayers because they estimated it would be about 7:00 pm before Lisa would be out of the OR and into the recovery room. Even after she enters recovery it is still awhile before the family can see her. I imagine that at times like these a mother's instincts kick in overtime and you just want to see for yourself that your "baby" is safe. Lisa is in the hands of some of the best doctors in the world, but we know that she is also in the hands of the God who made her, and that is what gets us through tough times like these.

I hope you still feel small

When you stand by the ocean.

Whenever one door closes,

I hope one more opens.

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...

Dance

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

Surgery

Happy Easter to all of you! It is a good day.
Tomorrow around 8 am Lisa will enter surgery to remove the cancer from her shoulder. This is going to be a huge day for all. It will start around 4am so they can get to Doernbecher several hours before the surgery for all the pre op preparations. The surgery is expected to take 9 hours. The team of doctors will take a bone from the bottom half of Lisa's leg, muscles from her back and fatty tissue from her body and use all that to rebuild her shoulder after they remove the cancerous bone and tumor. So the recovery will not only be for her shoulder, it will be her leg and back. Pray for quick and full healing.
Last week was pretty quiet for Lisa, as we had hoped. If you recall, she left the hospital on Monday evening having not passed the "levels" test. Grandma had to take Lisa back up on Tue. to be tested again. At that time her levels of chemo were fine and she was officially released to go home. She did get about 5 sores in her mouth from this round and but healed pretty quickly. Being weak and a little sick to her stomach is just "normal" for Lisa these days so she stayed home and just tried to build her strength and stay well for the surgery on Mon.
I will keep you updated tomorrow as I hear from the family. Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

ss

Finally Home

Lisa finally got to come around 8 pm on Mon. Bummer to miss such a pretty day waiting for the levels of chemo to go down inside you. That was a hard wait, and even though they tried, it was hard to keep their spirits up. They were finally released to come home and were glad to just get out of there. Gail was anxious to sleep in a real bed and needed to get back to work on Tue. but the doctors wanted Lisa to come back to Doernbecher on Tue. to check her levels again. Grandma took her up there and they were back in town around 4:00. I haven't heard the results, but they must have been ok, because she is home. (it was my daughters birthday, just wanted to add that, so I was haven't been able to check in).
Connor said that Lisa felt "just okay" so we are hoping that she will have a great week leading up to her surgery next Mon.
As I sit here and write, I look out my back window and see a bright red cross and the word "hope" both on the back neighbors porch and am reminded that we do have "hope for Harder" and we love you Lisa and are praying for you daily. So hopefully there will not be too much to report between now and Monday, but we can pray that Lisa will enjoy Easter and will feel peace for the upcoming surgery and recovery.

ss

This was writen by the Harders yesterday from Doernbecher

Greetings from the hospital . We were hoping to go home today but Lisas counts are still to high.These past three weeks have been real hard on Lisa and the family but we can finally see the light with the mouth sores she has six right now to the Chemo that we now know is working and that our God is anwering our prayers . Lisa is trying so hard not to worry about this HUGE surgery in case you did not hear she is keeping her arm BUT the surgery that the Dr's are going to do is remove the bone in her leg between her ankle and knee and removing some muscle and tissue in her back and get a new shoulder joint basically removing her shoulder and joint and making her a new one ! If all goes well the surgery will last 7 hrs but could go to 9 hrs . Lisa will have to wear a brace on her leg for awhile becasue she will not have feeling in her leg as the Dr says will be sleeping for quite some time. And a tube in her back so infection does not set in .The Doctor has moved Lisa's surgery date to Monday April 13th .Lisa wanted me to tell everyone that she is so thankful for all of the prayers and support and that she misses everyone .Take care Lisa , Gail and Grandma Nevada

And the results are back...

On Wed. much of the family made the trip back to Doernbecher to find out the results of the MRI and the Cat Scan. Lisa is nearing the date of her surgery and the Dr.'s wanted to see what all the chemo had done to the cancer in her shoulder and lungs. There was a real fear that the cancer would have progressed so far that they would have to remove Lisa's whole arm.
BUT... the news was that the chemo had done what they were hoping. The tumor in her shoulder has shrunk and they will be able to reconstruct her shoulder during surgery. They will take bone from her leg and tissue from her side and back. The surgery will take about 8 or 9 hours and will be very extensive. They were told how difficult the surgery will be, but fact that Lisa keeps her arm makes it all seem like a piece of cake!
They also addressed the issue of the cancer spots in her lungs. It appears that some of them may have disappeared and the ones that are vi sable have not grown, so that is very good news. At this point they are going to keep an eye on the spots and deal with her shoulder.
About 6:00 pm on Wed. Lisa started the last session of chemo before she will have surgery on April 15th. After the surgery they will start them chemo right back up. But one thing that could make the difference is... if they get 90% of the cancer out during the surgery, they type of chemo that Lisa will have to have will be alot milder. That means that the side effects should be less severe.
So although this was such good news, Lisa still has some tough days ahead in which she will need out prayers and support. But right now she is feeling the relief of being able to keep her arm and is thanking God for answered prayers!

This Friday

WHAT:
Spring Dance Fundraiser
WHEN:
Apr 3, 2009
WHERE:
Walker Middle School (Lisa's school)
DETAILS:
SAVE THE DATE! April 3rd, 2009 Jessie Doneth and Jamie Bennett (Lisa's cousins) are setting up a dance @ her school that will bring in more funds for LISA Lu Lu. Please stay connected with this wesbite as we will be posting more details SOON! If you would like to be a part of this fundraiser or would like to donate in a different way, please contact Jamie Bennett @ kjbennett914@comcast.net OR Jessie Doneth @ jessicadoneth@yahoo.com. Thank you all for your continuous love, support and prayers for Lisa Harder!

Today was the consultation with the doctors at Doernbecher. There were some very mixed emotions going into this meeting, they would be told how much good the chemo had done and what the plans were for the near future.
They were told that Lisa's arm will be saved during surgery. That had been a real concern to Lisa and her family and it was such a relief that the surgeons will be able to save her arm. They will take tissue from her leg and stomach areas to rebuild her shoulder. It will be a long and extensive surgery, but it will be worth it.
The spots in her lungs are still there, but they have not grown, which is very exciting news. At this point they are going to just watch them as they deal with her shoulder.
All of this was good news for the Harders, and they celebrated at Fudruckers on the way home. They understand that the fight is not over, but God has answered their prayers and Lisa will keep her arm and continue to fight the cancer.

The surgery is scheduled for April 15th at this point. Very soon after the surgery Lisa will continue with the chemo. because that is a very crucial point to fight the cancer. So take a deep breath with the Harders and say a pray because they are entering the next stage of this process.

ss

Lisa is home and doing pretty good after having chemo last week. They were allowed to come home on Sunday and she only was sick to her stomach a few times. While they were in Deornbecher waiting for the chemo to get out of her system Gail had the biggest urge to just kidnap Lisa and so somewhere... anywhere but there. But instead they asked permission and got a pass to go to Fudruckers and get something to eat.

Lisa also had a MRI and a cat scan to see what was going on with the cancer in her shoulder and her lungs at this point. The results will not be in until Tue. They have an appointment on Tue. to talk with the doctors regrading surgery and treatments. As you can imagine this will be a tough meeting with the doctors because Gordan and Gail will need to make decisions regarding Lisa's treatment. Please pray for them and the doctors. Pray for wisdom and peace and healing.

ss

I have been out of town, therefore a little out of touch with what is going on with Lisa. I think she started chemo about 6 last night and has been doing fairly well. I will try to get more info. and update this a little later. We miss you Lisa!

ss

Gained 3 lbs. Strangley this is good news!

Lisa, Gail and grandma got to come home today after spending 8 days in the hospital. After the blood transfusion and being prayed over Lisa just kept getting better and today her blood counts were up and she was feeling spunky!
She had a dentist appt. to check out her teeth because she had been having alot of pain on one side. They wondered if it was wisdom teeth or problems with side affects from the chemo. Everything checked out ok for now, so possibly it was from the sores in her throat area.
The sores are cleared up. I guess once Lisa's white blood cell count went up the sores clear pretty quickly. Her count has been at zero. That is so dangerous especially if she catches something, she would have no immunity to fight it.

So when I went next door this evening Lisa was eating ribs, rolls, salad and Now and Laters candy, that turned her teeth blue. (I think she should have gone to the dentist with those blue teeth complaining of pain and seen what the dentist thought then!) Lisa was smiling and talking just like old times. She was telling us how grumpy she had been while she was in the hospital and how the morphine made her angry.
Gail said she was telling the nurses how they needed to changed the parking lot and get more beds for her parents and all kinds of off the wall things.
But she certainly was not grumpy tonight...she was kidding Kyle about eating too much, and making fun of him. That only egged Kyle on and before we knew it they were pushing and tugging on each other. Mom stepped in on that one because Lisa has to be very careful with her shoulder. It must feel so good to feel good!

Lisa will still be fed the liquid calories and vitamins at night through an IV. They were waiting for the nurse to arrive from Portland with the bags to show Gail how to work it. She is off the pain pump and back on pills for pain meds. They do plan on starting chemo again on Wed. so they will only be home for a few days, but that is better than nothing...There is no place like home.

Being Blessed

After all the blood transfusions and medication changes it seemed that not alot had changed. Lisa had a little of her color back and she she was quieter, but she still was no well enough to go home. They are watching the sores in her mouth and throat very carefully because it they do not heal they can not start the next session of chemo. I guess they do not have to be completely gone, but they have to show signs of healing. Some are at that stage and others are not. Emotions are raw and everyone is tired.
Today the elders and some pastors from Salem Alliance went up to visit the Lisa. They spent 2 hours singing and praying over Lisa. They prayed over the family too to keep up the faith and give them strength. This was such a blessing to everyone. The prayers were heard and Lisa had a great afternoon. She sat up and was even joking around, but the most amazing thing is that she started eating. I got a text that she was eating roast beef, rice and a milkshake. It wasn't more than about 20 minutes later and I got another text that said she was now eating oreo pie! Yum, and it sounds like Lisa is making up for lost time. You go Lisa! We'll keep praying and you keep eating!

This may be a little hard to see, but this is Lisa's room. They managed to set up the computer so that Lisa can see it on the big monitor screen. This is Gail reading it to her. I guess Lisa requested more pictures, so I will do my best. If you have some good ones, e-mail them to me @

sheriestom@comcast.net.

By the way...Hi Lisa.

Grandma Verdie

This is Lisa's Grandma Harder. She is also fighting cancer right now. They started their chemo on the same day. If you look at their family tree you will see that Verdie is the oldest member of the family and Lisa is the youngest. We pray that they will both beat their cancer and get to spend some good times together sharing their experiences and just hanging out!

Here is a little more accurate information on Lisa. Michelle, her youth pastor, visited today and gave me this information. Lisa was sitting up and doing better than she had been for the past several days. Her temp. was down just a little more to 99.4. She was working on an art project that she had started earlier. Even though this sounds better, Lisa still is very weak and her blood counts were still very low. She has, however, stopped throwing up constantly and was sipping on a Capri Sun and eating a Popsicle. They switched her off of Morphine and onto a different drug that will give her just as much pain relief. The Morphine was giving her an adverse side effect and this new drug will hopefully correct that. They are giving her 2 units of blood in a transfusion. The first started about 4:00 this afternoon. Each one takes about 4 hours to complete. Like I mentioned before they hope this new blood will help correct her low counts. Pray that her body will react positively to it.
They have also decided to postpone the next session of chemo until Wed. (instead of Mon). Hopefully this will give her body a few more days to build some strength and give Lisa a little break. Gail and her mom did get a break to come back to Salem and get some fresh clothes and re-group before heading back up to Doernbecher. They really do not know how long each stay will be, it all depends on how Lisa is doing.
They had a visit from Randy and his family the other day and enjoyed that. The cancer has given them a real bond. We want them both to know that so many people are praying.

Today Lisa is feeling just a little better. They did go ahead and give her a couple units of blood so that should help stabilize her blood counts. Gordon is up with her while Gail takes a little break.

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Hard times

I guess the doctors said some of this would happen, but it doesn't make it any easier when it does happens. Lisa is having a hard time even keeping water down and they are feeding her some milky white stuff and some yellow stuff through an IV. They give it to her 12 hours on and 12 hours off. I am sure it is full of nutrition and calories. They also have her hooked up to a Morphine pump that drips the drug 24 hrs. and she can also push a button to get an extra shot when she needs it. The sores are very painful, she has about 1/2 doz. in her throat, a few on her tongue and the roof of her mouth and now she has some on her cheeks and the side of her mouth. They are about the size of a dime. There have been 7 different doctors in her room today checking on Lisa trying to figure out how to help her. Her blood count is way down. 1500 would be normal for a patient on chemo and Lisa's is at 40 right now. They are talking about giving her a blood transfusion tomorrow if the counts don't improve. They also can not start the next session of chemo if her counts are so low. Lisa is very weak and can only whisper. They really do not know if she will be home in the next few days like they were hoping. When Gail asked the doctor if he thought she would be able to go home before the next session he just kind of smiled and shrugged. Her fever has dropped from 101 to 99.7, so that is an improvement.

I text Gail around 2:00 to say that Connor passed his permit test and she said that brought a big smile to Lisa's face and she said she was proud of her buddy. After that Gail said she has been able to sit up some and a teacher came into her room and is going to work on an art project with Lisa. So don't know if Connor getting his permit had this effect on Lisa and made her smile, if so that is good cuz it makes me sorta want to cry!!!! (just kidding).

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Pizza Fundraiser
Thanks to Figaro's-All 6 locations in Salem will be giving 50%of net proceeds to Randy and Lisa's accounts.
When: Monday April 20
Time: 4-8pm
Where: Any Figaro's location in Salem
Please put this on your calendar and enjoy pizza that night

Lisa had a hard night, poor girl. She has had such a problem with throwing up and feeling sick that last night they decided to start feeding her with an IV. She has lost a significant amount of weight and has gotten very weak from not being able to eat. Hopefully this will help her build up some strength and control the nausea. She also spiked a fever again last night so they are watching that very carefully. I am sure these are long and wearing days for all of them, hopefully Lisa will stabilize so that she can come home for awhile before the next chemo session.

Well they did keep Lisa overnight, and she is still up at Doernbecher. Her blood tests came back and the results were not good; her blood count is very low. Lisa has developed sores in her throat and in her ears and it is very painful to swallow. They have her on Morphine but even with that it is hard for her to feel comfortable. She is still fighting a fever and is sick to her stomach. Gail said that she thought Lisa might try to eat some ice cream tonight but they are not sure if she will be able to keep it down. The next session of chemo is supposed to start on Monday, I am not sure if that will change if she is still so sick. So as you can tell Lisa and the family need your prayers, as always, and are thankful for all the support. They want to pray for a miracle for Lisa that when her lungs are tested again they will be cancer free and that the cancer in her joints will be gone. We will pray for this and her total healing. We have hope for Harder.

Lisa and Randy.

Lisa in front of her barn with her new look!

Hanging out with friends!

After Lisa got home from having her blood tests at Deornbecher last Wed. she felt really good. She had a wonderful 3 days. The family was able to go out to eat several times and also took in a movie at Northern Lights on Sat. afternoon with her grandma and some friends. Gail said that she seemed like she was practically back to normal. But I guess Sun. was a different story. Lisa started throwing up again and developed sores in her throat. She now has so many sores that she can not swallow. She has started running a temperature so Gail put a call into the doctor to see if they want to take a look at Lisa. Pray that Lisa will start to feel better and that the sores will go away so that Lisa can eat and keep up her strength.

UPDATE: The doctor did want Lisa to go back up to Deornbecher, so just a little while ago they headed up to Portland. It is possible that they could keep her overnight if her temp. does not go down and she is still so sick.