Hi, sorry I have been out of town for a few days, so I wasn't able to update this. You may have known this already but Lisa was able to come home yesterday. They had taken her off the breathing monitor and other bells and whistles and said that she was able to go home. She will need physical therapy on her left arm and leg because of some weakness, and she is also having trouble seeing out of her left eye. The tumor was on her left side and was affecting that side of her body.

We stopped in to see Lisa on our way out of town and she was in good spirits... and had a room full of people who love her visiting for the evening. She showed us the scar and filled us in on what the Doctors have told her. It was good to see her talking and I know she loved seeing so many friends caring for her.

Lis is doing pretty good. They had a long night and Lisa had a pretty bad headache and struggled with pain on and off. She was feeling alot of pressure which I am sure because of swelling from the surgery. The monitors kept going off so that made it hard for all to sleep. But thank goodness she is stable and talking alot.

Lisa is looking forward to going to the 10th floor where she is used to "hanging out". Gail said that visitors are welcome, I am sure that would brighten Lisa's day to see some of you!

Thanks for the prayers.

good update

After surgery Lisa was taken to ICU so that they could watch her carefully. They expect her to move out of there in the morning.

She is doing so good...Gail said she is talking to everyone and lifting her head. She is also wanting to eat something. These are all good signs! She has gone through so many surgeries and it seems each time she comes out smiling! Happy to have it over and knowing that God is with her!

Gail is not able to have her ph on in ICU, so she said she would give us an update in the morning when they move to a different room.

Thanks for the prayers.

Surgery will begin at 12:30 today up on the 8th floor. Gail said that Lisa is very scared and I can imagine that the rest of them are too. Pray the God will give them peace that passes understanding.

We all send you our love, Lisa.

urgent prayer

Just got some very hard news about Lisa. She has been suffering from headaches lately and the Dr. determined that she has cancer on the side of her brain. They are acting quickly and have already headed up to Deornbecher and are preparing to have surgery tomorrow. They are a little in shock and very scared. The family would appreciated you all keeping this new development in your prayers. I will let you know more as I hear.

Thanks, Sherie

Praise

Lisa had her scan today and it was clear! Lisa and her family are so relieved and happy. Had they found anything they would have had to go to Huston Texas to get any further treatment, but this was the best news they could get!
Lisa will not be doing anymore chemo, at least for awhile, and she will have a nice Christmas break! After 3 months she will go in for another scan to make sure that everything is still good.

I think that is about the best Christmas present the family could get right now!

Oh and by the way Gail is doing well too. She has quite a few stitches across her cheek to her ear and then down the side of her face by her ear, (sort of like a mini face lift!) Anyway, she said she is doing well, I have not heard of any results yet though.

Thanks for you prayers.

This isn't going to be an update on Lisa, although she is doing pretty good and even got to go on a church retreat with her small group...This is about Gail.

Gail went to the dermatologist last week to have some moles checked out. Her moles were fine but the found a spot on her cheek just under her eye that they were concerned about and so the did a biopsy right then. The results came back that it was melanoma and she will be having surgery to remove it tomorrow. I guess there are 4 stages of melanoma and Gail's is at stage 2.5. She said that stage 3 would require chemo. They will be removing piece the size of a nickle or maybe up to a quarter to get a good margin. Because it is so close to her eye they will need to take extra care when they pull the skin together so that her eye does not droop. Of course she is nervous but with all Lisa has gone through she feels like she can't say much. Pls keep them all in your prayers.... Lisa's scan is coming up at the end of the month and they are really praying for it to be clear. If something shows up they will have to do some serious talking about the options they have left to treat Lisa.

Taken from Lisa's facebook....

I forgot to update u. Monday I went up to see the doctor and start chemo. But the doctor said because I had a reaction to this chemo and had to be hospitalized for it that I should not do this chemo anymore. So no chemo :) we will do a scan at the end of November and hopefully it's clear so 1)... I don't have to go to Houston and 2)... I can start living life like a normal teenager! Thank u for the prayers much appreciated God bless

written by Lisa on facebook...

Home from the hospital earlier today! They still don't fully know what the swelling of my legs and fever was about. So we will go back on Monday to see if I'll be able to get my last Chemo or not. Thanks for the prayers God bless

copied from facebook...

Doctors are waiting another night to see how Lisa continues to respond and get better. The swelling in the one leg is down significantly, and the swelling in the other has been progressing (but not at the same rate). They will re-access her in the morning to see what additional progress has been made, and maybe begin the chat about when she can come home!

The "dream team" (as they call them) will also make a decision about the chemo treatments Lisa has coming up whether to continue to one she has been on (and reacted to so severely this time) or to change it prior to her next set of scans later in November.

Lisa and her family are in good spirits and continuing to trust God to sustain them again, has He has so evidently all through this journey. We'll keep you posted... Thanks for continuing to pray that Lisa's condition improves and returns to normal...

update

They have done alot of tests on Lisa tonight. They have done a heart and lung test and thankfully her lungs are clear of fluid and her heart looks good. Around midnight they will take some other tests on her organs and they will be checking for blood clots.

Lisa had a fever as high as 103.3 but it has gone down to about 101. That is good and shows that her body is hard at work to heal. They know that alot of people prayed and they are so thankful for that.

Well, feeling good didn't last long. Lisa has a fever and the swelling in her legs has gotten worse. It is a reaction to the chemo. the Doctors wanted to see her so they headed up to the hospital. Hopefully they will be able to get these symptoms under control, but she will probably have to spend some time up there. They would appreciate your prayers, as always.

Yesterday Lisa had another session of chem. I just saw her and she is doing well, she usually doesn't get sick until a few days after the chemo. She is having a little problem with swelling in her feet. They said it is a side affect of the chemo so they put her on a water pill that makes her "shed" alot of the water she is retaining. Hopefully that will help!

update

On Monday Lisa had chemo again. They have started going 2 weeks between chemo because she just was not ready to go every week. Then they give her a double does of chemo every other Mon. This has worked alot better for Lisa and she has a chance to feel good for awhile between sessions.
Lisa has been going to school, just like she hoped. She says she has alot of homework, but is so thankful to be able to be there so she doesn't mind the work at all!

Lisa has 2 very special friends who are fighting a recurrence of chemo. David had surgery this week to remove a tumor by his brain and her friend Mary Kate has had a suspicious spot reappear that they are looking at. These friends has a special bond with Lisa and it hurts her to see them go through this again. Lisa has cried and prayed for and with these friends and would like your prayers for them too.

In a few weeks the doctors will do another CT scan to check out Lisa's lungs. Pray that they will not see any new growth of tumors. This will be the routine that they do for awhile...chemo and scans.

Lisa was supposed to start chemo yesterday but was unable to because her blood counts were too low. Please pray that her body would replenish itself so she can continue to fight the cancer.

Thanks

Lisa had her scan yesterday. They did see a spot on her lungs, but they are not sure what it is yet. There is the possiblity of it being scar tissue. They are going to keep an eye on it and check it again in 6 weeks after doing a few more sessions of chemo. So for now she will just have to wait and see how things progress.

So I guess no news is good news.

From Lisa's facebook.....

CT Scan tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to make sure my lungs are clear of any new tumors. I will also be getting an xray on my shoulder due to a recent fall. Please keep praying!

from Lisa's facebook....

Yesterday was my last 2 chemos until my CTScan Sept 6 @ 10. I am not feeling very well, this has been some really nasty chemos. I am thankful to be done with these 2 rounds of chemo. This has really been hard on my body .
Please keep praying for my friend David as he too is having a hard time with his chemo. Thank you and God Bless:)

Gail is asking for a little extra prayer for Lisa today. She had chemo on Monday and had just felt sick ever since. The little hair that she was starting to grow has started to fall out again, which is disapointing to her just before school starts. She wants to be able to start school in a few weeks feeling strong. The chemo gets harder as it builds on itself, and Lisa has had several sessions of this new chemo now since she had her surgery.

It must be discouraging and difficult to be sick so much, and Lisa is not a complainer, so she must really be feeling bad.

Yours prayers are appreciated!

I was out of town for a bit, so I haven't updated this...sorry

I saw Lisa yesterday and she is feeling pretty good. This is her week off from Chemo. She has finished 2 sessions and will have 2 more before they do a scan so determine how things are going.

She has been going up to the hospital on Mondays to get the chemo and then coming home. Gail says she does pretty well until about Friday and then it seems to hit her a little harder and she gets sick. But overall this is way better than staying up at the hospital for a week at a time!

I even heard her talk about starting school at West....we didn't talk much about it so we will see, but that would be fun for her to see some of her old friends again. It has been hard to stay in touch with everyone and she misses them.

Lisa has done so well after her surgery. On Monday she had chemo at Deornbecher and has felt a little sick, but at least she gets to be at home after getting it and sleep in her own bed. Tomorrow she will go back to the hospital and get 2 different chemos. She will get to come back home again as long as she handles it well. The plan is to do a scan after these 2 sessions of chemo and see what is happening with Lisa's lungs.

Lisa will not be starting school at West this fall. She will probably have a tutor come to her house again to keep her caught up, but she just wont be ready for school. She misses all the friends she has made over the years, and is lonely sometimes so please pray for her emotional health as well as her physical.

Thanks

Lisa is doing well. When she got home she started to have a little problem controlling the pain. In the hospital they had the meds very regulated and could give them through an IV, but at home it is a little harder to stay on top of it.

Lisa will start chemo pretty soon. It is a different type of chemo, one used specifically for her type of cancer. The nice thing is that they go to the hospital to get the chemo but then get to come right home. Lisa can be in her own bed...she is pretty tired of the hospital beds!

The doctors are very happy with how Lisa responded to the surgery! Thanks for all your prayers.

HOME!

Yeah!!!! Our miracle girl is going home today!!!! Her hospital stay was expected to be 7-10 days!! Thanks for continuing to pray!!! Thank you Lord for gifts like going home today!!!!!!!!

Lisa standing, determined to get well.

Broken foot

Just before Gail's birthday party on Wed. Lisa rolled her foot. She wrapped it up and borrowed grandpa's cane and kept scurrying around preparing for the party. Well the doctors got a look at that foot and saw the discoloring and swelling and ordered a X-ray. Sure enough it was broken. Probably the metatarsal bone...(i know this because I did the same thing a few years ago). You would think that this would be a good time for Lisa to stay off her foot while she is in the hospital, but the problem in that the doctors want Lisa to get up and start moving so fluid does not settle in her lungs. They plan to fit her for a special boot so that she will be able to walk.

Pretty sure a broken foot isn't going to keep Lisa down!

Lisa is doing so well after her surgery. She had a great night. She was able to sit up and the doctors want her to walk today. She is starting to feel some pain, but she says she "welcomes the pain" because she know this surgery has removed the cancer from her lungs.
They sent a picture of all the tumors that were removed right after the surgery. They were lined up next to a ruler and they measured 7 in. I could hardly believe it. Imagine having that in your lung.

Lisa is smiling and so relieved to have this behind her. Thank you so much for all your prayers.

She is out of surgery

At 11:15 I received a text from Gail saying Lisa is out of surgery. She said that they removed all 5 tumors, but were not able to take any area around the tumors. The scraped the lung and took some bone when they removed the tumor. I am not really sure where the bone might have come from,but that is what she said in the text. I am sure all of the information will be sorted out soon. When I talk to the family I will try to get more details, but for now this is what I know.

They have been warned that the next 3 days will be hard. They will work hard to control her pain, but It will still be hard for Lisa.

They are just glad she came through the surgery and that the tumors have been removed.

They want to thank you all for your prayers.

in surgery

Last night Lisa threw a surprise birthday party for her mom (Gail's birthday is tomorrow). Even on the eve of this huge surgery Lisa was thinking of other people over herself. She knew Fri. would be a tough day for all so she wanted to make sure her mom had a party before the surgery.

Today, at the crack of dawn, about 20 close friends and family arrived at Deornbecher to be with Lisa and her mom and dad while they wait through Lisa's surgery. Her surgery was scheduled at 7:30. I got a text from Gail at 8:15 that said she was now in surgery. So for the next 3 hours pray for that team of doctors. Wisdom, skill, steady hands.....

As I said before they will be working on the tumor near her aorta. If they can get that one they will continue on to her lung. Pray that Lisa's body will be strong and be able to handle the surgery well.

All are very anxious. Lisa keeps a happy face, but she was very scared going into this. The Dr.'s have explained how dangerous and painful this will be.

As I hear news today I will update...

Here's the scoop

The Harders are up in Portland today at the Hospital talking to the Dr.'s about the detail of Lisa's surgery on the 21st. It was hard details to listen to and has stirred up alot of anxiety in them.

Lisa will have to spend 7 to 10 days in the hospital recovering from the surgery which will start at 7:30 am on Thur. It is scheduled to take at least 3 hours. They plan on burning her lung after they remove the cancerous tumors. This is something they have not done on the previous procedures. Lisa has a tumor near her aorta and they will work on that one first. That is the most dangerous tumor. If they feel they are unable to remove that tumor they will not continue with the procedure and close her up. So as you can understand this whole thing is making them very nervous. Please pray for Lisa and her family. Thanks.

Surgery date

They have been given a date for Lisa's lung surgery. It will be July 21st. They know this will be a very extensive difficult surgery for Lisa, but they are not sure yet to the extent that they will be removing sections of her lung. As the Harders get more info. I will update this blog.

Lisa is trying to have some fun this summer vacation before she has to have this surgery, so they were able to spend a few days in Seattle just hanging out and having fun! So glad you got to do that.

I wanted to let you know about the results of the scans. I have not gotten all of the information, but what I do know is that the doctors think that Lisa qualifies for a lung surgery. The chemo must have kept the tumors from growing enough that they are willing to try surgery. Gail said that it is a very hard surgery with a hard recovery, I am not sure exactly what they surgery entails, but I know they were talking about removing part of the lung. Even though this will be hard on Lisa, I think they are thankful for "options" and are willing to keep fighting. Lisa is a strong young lady with an amazing attitude and a strong faith in God. Again the family thanks you for all they prayers and support you have given them.

Thank you to all of you who came to the car wash..there was a great turn out and it was a big success! A big thank you to Ruby from Valley Recycling for organizing this event. She really did a great job!

The day after the car wash Lisa had the opportunity to go on a camping trip with a family friend. They went to a place where you get to bring your horse and take different rides. I hear they even took a midnight ride! I hear she had a fabulous time and loved spending time with the horses that she loves so much.

PRAY.....

Today at 11:30 Lisa will go in for scans. At 1:30 the doctors will meet with the family and talk to them about the next step they should take. Please pray for all...as they are very nervous to hear what the Dr. has to say.

HELP NEEDED

Tomorrow (sun) there will be a car wash at the Harley Davidson business on Silverton Rd. (See address and time in previous blog). We have handed out over 1000 fliers and are hoping to have a huge car wash to benefit Lisa. If any of you are able to put in an hour or 2 washing or drying cars it would be fabulous! We can use all the help we can get. Hope to see you there!

Lisa is home now from this session on chemo. It was pretty hard on her and she felt sick most of the time. She is doing a little better at home, but still very tired. They will be going up to the hospital in a few days to get scan of Lisa's lungs. Please pray for the doctors and the Harder's as the choices they can make for Lisa's treatment are narrowing down. They want to do everything they can for Lisa, but also don't want to make her unnecessarily sick. The Harders really appreciate all the pray and support that you all have given them.

Hope to see you at the car wash listed below!

CAR WASH

DON'T FORGET!

COME TO A CAR WASH FOR LISA
SUNDAY JUNE 26, 11-4
Come support Lisa and drive away with a clean car! It will be at the Harley Davidson store at 3601 Silverton Rd. NE Salem.Cost is by donation only

Little change of plans...

They have decided to start chemo on Lisa today after all. Her platelets are still low but they feel it is more important to stay on track with the chemo. They will lower her dose a little to help her body handle it.
There has been much discussion over the last few days on what "plan" they have for Lisa's treatment. Several things are up in the air depending on what her next scan looks like after this chemo, but they are throwing around possible surgery. They just found out that there is a tumor dangerously near the aorta. There is a possibility that they might try to remove that tumor. Gail says that this would be a very dangerous surgery and the recovery would be so much harder that when she had her lung surgery. They are also looking at the possibility of removing a lung or part of one. This would only be possible if they are 100% sure that the other lung has no tumors in it. Chemo is not going as smoothly as before because Lisa's body is not recovering from sessions like it used to do and if she has not replenished all of her levels they can keep on track with chemo. So as you can see they are at a cross roads and have decisions to make and none of them are good. Lisa was very discouraged about what she was hearing from the doctors.

Please pray for her spirits...It is hard to stay positive, but she is determined to do so!
Pray that the doctors will have wisdom when deciding what treatment Lisa should receive.
Just Pray.... Thanks

Thank you to all the friends and family who came out to Applebee's on Saturday for the pancake feed. It was lots of fun and a great success! The organization 4Him2Day put this on the help Lisa and another girl struggling with cancer named Frida. The founders of this organization lost their son to the same cancer Lisa has about 2 1/2 years ago. They have now formed this non-profit organization to help other families. They supply gas cards to help cover the cost of driving back and forth to the hospital and also give gift cards to help food costs while there. I spent some time talking to the founder and was so touched by how they are giving back to others as part of their own healing.

COME TO A CAR WASH FOR LISA
SUNDAY JUNE 26, 11-4

Come support Lisa and drive away with a clean car! It will be at the Harley Davidson store at 3601 Silverton Rd. NE Salem.

Cost is by donation only.

HOPE to see you there!

Yesterday Lisa and Gail went back to Doernbecher for testing of Lisa's levels. She is very tired and worn out and they ended up giving her a few units of blood. Hopefully that will help "perk" her up and get her healthy enough to go home. She will get her next dose of chemo on the 14th followed by all her testing and scans on the 29th to see how the tumors are reacting to chemo.

Lisa continues with her school work with a tutor that comes to the house and will be able to finish her Sophomore year! There are several fund raiser coming up soon that I have mentioned in previous blogs. On Sunday Logan Martin gave a great concert to benefit Lisa, I was not able to make it, but I hear it was a great concert and alot of fun! Thanks Logan for doing that.
Thank you so much to all who continue to pray and support Lisa and the Harders. They can feel your love and prayers.

The Logan Martin concert with Dan Hartman was amazing!! Thanks to all that donated and came! For those that didn't you missed a great concert. The money that was raised will pay for some spendy hospital bills. Thanks again and go buy Logan Martin And Dan Hartman CDs they will rock your socks off. Special thanks to Michelle, Logan, and Dan for doing this your awesome love ya all God Bless

Let's join Lisa for a great night of music by Logan Martin on Sunday, June 5th @ 7 pm. (Doors open @ 6:30 pm) at Salem Alliance Church on Gains St. in Salem.

This is a benefit concert to help Lisa and her family offset the costs of her cancer treatment. A free-will offering will be taken during the concert that will be given directly to Lisa's Cancer Fund. Thanks in advance for your generosity and support of Lisa and her family...

The second fundraiser is the 4 th 2day pancake breakfast for me and frida. It's at apple bees out south on June 11 from 730am-10am the cost is 5 dollars. Let me know by messaging me on Facebook. Thank you God bless

from Lisa's facebook

Well I am back from sunny California and starting Chemo today. (the 25th) The trip was awesome and I want to go back haha. There are two fundraisers that are going to be happening the first is the Logan Martin concert my church is putting on that's June 5 but I don't know the cost or where it will be so stay tuned for more info.

Dreams do come true!

It had been a dream of Lisa's to get her drivers licence, well I guess dreams do come true! Yesterday, after much studying and practice, Lisa, accompanied by Gail and Connor ventured out to the DMV on Lancaster. I asked her why she wasn't going to take her test in Dallas or some place smaller and quieter than Lancaster and she insisted that she knew Lancaster better and if she was going to get her licence she would need to be able to able to drive on Lancaster!
She said she was nervous at first, but things went really well so her nerves quieted down....and Lisa passed with a 100%! So she got her licence, that's all she wanted to do, just accomplish that. Gail said that now she couldn't care less about actually driving!

Dream #2... Lisa is headed right now to Disneyland! Last year Gail won a trip to Calf. through her work. So this morning the family, including grandparents and some siblings, headed south to see Mickey! Lisa had no idea about this until Monday when Gail's co-worker, dress in a Tinker Bell costume, announced it to Lisa! She was soooo excited! They will stay with Gail's sister and play at Disneyland!

Because Lisa has been off chemo for several weeks, she is feeling pretty good. Her back is starting to bother her more, and that is probably from one of the larger tumors pressing against it. She was not able to start chemo on sched. last time because her counts were so low, so they had to put it off until after this trip. It is not good to go so long in between chemo sessions, but the doctors felt is was so important that Lisa enjoy this trip to CA with her family they decided to wait. She will start chemo on the 25th.

ss

Posts from Lisa's facebook.

Updates On Lisa Harder

For anyone that is interested I am telling my story Sunday May 15 at 930 and 11 o clock services at Court Street Christian Church! Hope to see ya there

Yesterday (Monday) I did a speech in front of the faculty at west because Ed John and Joann wanted me to do it because the teachers are getting a little down because of the layoffs and cuts for next year. So i said some encouraging words :)

i am very busy whith speeches with i love i have one tomorrow at kingwood infront of the older ladies youth group and will do one at Court street Christian on Sunday 930 and 11 o clock services. I am so thankful to be speaking more and tell my story and encourage those that need it I hope that Godf gives me more opportunitys because i love doing it :) Love you all Hope your having a great week God Bless

enough for now

Lisa had been scheduled to start chemo on Tue. but because her counts were so low they were not able to start. After alot of thinking about what they should do, the Dr's thought about starting chemo on Thur. but only do it for 3 days to keep Lisa on schedule. So up they went to the hospital on Thur. to see if she had made enough platelets. The Doctors said that Lisa's body is tired and getting worn out from so much chemo...and her body was not ready to even do the 3 days. So they sent Lisa home until the 25th to just enjoy some time off. While taking time off from chemo does not help the fight against the tumors in her lungs, it does give Lisa a reprieve and she is happy for that. So Lisa will enjoy mothers day at home enjoying her mother!

Happy mother's day Gail.

postponed

Lisa was going to start a new session on chemo on Mon. but they sent her home. They ended up giving her some platelets because her levels were too low. She was a little dissapointed, but taking off another week will be a nice break. She is spending the time visiting good friends and just hanging out at home!

Well darn, Lisa ended up spiking a fever. She will spend Easter in the hospital. Sure wish that didn't happen. Hope you feel better soon....

Lisa has been feeling pretty since finishing chemo a few days ago. Today they had to head up to the hospital to check all her levels. They call it a "tune up"!

They just told Lisa that she will be getting 2 units of platelets and 2 units of blood. That should help bring her levels back up to where they need to be. Hopefully she will not spike a fever while this is going on. Right now she doesn't have one, but for some reason she often gets one during this process. If all goes well they should be able to come home about 8. Not a good way to spend one of the only sunny days we have had in a long time.
Praying for you Lisa....

Lisa finished this session of chemo and is home. Welcome back home!

Lisa has finished 2 days of chemo and will start day 3 tonight. She has been doing really well again. The first few days are always the easiest (if you can call any of these days easy). She has been down at their "school" doing lots of homework and they have been trying to walk alot more this time. Just getting out of the room must be nice. Hang in there Lisa, we are rooting for you!

Lisa has had a good break from chemo. Her aunt and cousins from Calf. came to visit and they all had a good time. Some went fishing a D Lake and caught enough fish to have a great fish fry!

On Tue. Lisa will go back to the hospital to start the first of 2 rounds of chemo again. When these 2 are finished the will do another CT scan to check out what is going on with the tumors in her lungs. They are taking it round by round to determine the next treatment. Lisa looks good and is amazingly strong still, she feels all your prayers.

ss

God is good

Today Lisa had a CT scan to see what the chemo has been doing to thoes nasty cancer spots. The news was good! The Dr. said that the tumors have not grown anymore and that a few of them were even a bit smaller. That is such an answer to prayer. Sooo, the plan is to continue with the chemo. Lisa will get a little break by taking the next 2 weeks off. That will be nice because she probably is over the worst side effects and could maybe have some fun. They will go ahead with 2 more rounds of chemo after this time off and then they will do another scan like they did today. Today they are thanking God that the news was encouraging! ss

Lisa was able to come home yesterday and is feeling pretty good. Tomorrow will be a big day. She is going back to the hospital to have scans to determine if the chemo has continued to kill back the cancer. We are rooting for you Lisa! (and praying too!)

Lisas temp has stabilized but she and her mom are still in isolation. Praying hard they come home tomorrow... Will you pray for the same? (hang in there Lisa and Gail!)

taken from a post on facebook

Lisa is back at Doernbechers... Her fever is up and has a sore throat and headache. She's in isolation til things stabilize. :( please pray for healing, peace, comfort and rest (in the midst of vital checks and everything else all night long). Pray that He grants comfort of heart and mind - another bummer being in on the weekend that 'should' be a weekend off. We love ya Lisa.

Coming home day!! Lisa finished chemo this round - yeah!! She was a little weak this am, but after a unit of blood she's out the door and headed home!!! Yeah!!!! A week or so of rest ahead with her next followup scan next week. Keep praying!!! Love ya Lisa!!!

from Lisa's facebook acct.

Day 4 Yes I am done with school homework let spring vacation begin.Chemo has started and feeling ok just a little worn out my body is tired. Have a wonderful weekend . God bless :)

this is from a post that Lisa wrote on facebook.

Lisa is back at the hospital getting chemo again. She is a few days into this session. After this set of chemo they will do several tests to see how things are progressing. Pray that this powerful chemo will continue to stunt the growth of her tumors.

Lisa continues to be an inspiration to me. She is an amazing girl!

I don't have alot of information, but I do know that Lisa was able to come home last night. That is awesome. If all goes well she will have a week at home before starting the next round of chemo.

isolation

Lisa went up to the hospital today to get a blood transfusion. This is normal procedure for someone getting chemo, but they had to give her 4 units. That is the most that she has ever received. She was feeling pretty good going into the procedure, but while getting blood Lisa spiked a fever. Because her white blood count is 0, they take a fever very seriously. She is susceptible to picking up any illness, so the decided that she would need to stay at the hospital until her counts were higher. To top that off, she now has to stay in isolation because of the measles scare that is going around.

They were not prepared to stay overnight, so Gail had to come home and quickly pack and head back up to be with Lisa for at least 4 nights.

Lisa is feeling a little better now and is not looking forward to staying in isolation. No visitors, no fun. :(

Yeah!!! Lisa is home from this round of treatment!! She came home yesterday and was grateful again for not throwing up at all during this round!! She woke up smiling and is meeting now with her tutor (who comes at 7:30 am!!). Pray that her blood pressure stays strong and she maintains energy. While super happy she is weak today... Lord, be and give her strength today!! We love ya Lisa!!

(from facebook)

They Chemo has been going pretty well. Lisa has not been particularly sick, just tired. She is having a few problems with low blood pressure so they are watching that closely. They hope that they will return home on Sunday. I hope so too.

Lisa is starting her 3rd night of chemo tonight. Gail said that things are going pretty good, she hasn't felt too sick yet. But they are a little concerned about her kidneys. They are watching her closely to make sure that they are not getting damaged.

They had a beautiful view of the snow from their room, over the last 2 days. A view is nice, but I bet Lisa would rather be out throwing snowballs! We wish that for you too!

See you at home soon.

ss

round 3

Today Lisa will start her third round of chemo. The doctors were encouraged by how the chemo had affected the tumors, so the plan is to go 3 more rounds. After that they will take another scan and some more tests to determine what the plan will be.

Pray, pray, pray.

Their nerves were raw and their stomachs were churning. They waited for Dr. "Doom and gloom" to enter the room to give them the news. Well Dr. Doom and gloom must have decided he didn't like his nick name so he came in the room with a smile. His smile alleviated some of the fears, but as he told them that there had been no new growth of the tumors and he thought a few of them were smaller they could finally let out the breath they had been holding for so long. This means that they will continue with chemo, it is doing its job and the tumors are reacting to it.

Who would ever think it was good news to start chemo....but it is good news. God has heard their (and your) prayers.

Lisa will start chemo again on Tue.

Time will tell....

Tomorrow Lisa will going in for a body scan that will tell them how well this chemo has done it's job. They will be checking to see if the cancer that is in her lungs has grown or started dying. Lisa has finished 2 full rounds of the strongest chemo that they can give her. They gave her the choice to even try this type of chemo and Lisa absolutely wanted to go for it, she is such a fighter! I am amazed at the faith and positive attitude she has, but we all have to remember that even the strongest of us can be scared and worry about what is ahead of us. Tomorrow is a pivotal point for Lisa. The doctors will determine what future treatments, if any, she will have from what they find tomorrow.

They are asking that you pray for sleep tonight and for nerves tomorrow as they await the results of the test. I don't know how a mother and father can go through this, but God has shown Himself to the Harder's again and again and He will be as good tomorrow as he always has been and always will be.

We are praying for healing Lisa.

ss

Below is a blurb that I copied off of facebook....

Lisa has some more energy tonight. She's still can't leave the room & very limited # of people get in. She got blood today & that always makes a big difference for her. So 1) if you can give blood, please do! There are countless people that need it! What a great practical way to help! And 2) continue to pray - when asked tonight what she wanted us to pray for she said 'that I'm healthy.' we love ya Lisa!

New:

Lisa is still struggling with a fever and low blood pressure. Because her white blood cell count is so low, or zero, she is susceptible to just about any virus and or illness that she comes in contact with. They are running some tests and and watching her vitals and trying to get her health enough to come back home.

She has challenged Connor to a mean game of "Sorry"...so she must be getting some of her spunk back! Your on Lisa....

About 4 Lisa headed back up to Doernbecher because she was running a high fever. The doctors will run several tests and try to keep her fever under control. It is always so discouraging to have to go back to the hospital, and Lisa was pretty bummed. This is pretty common for someone getting this type of chemo, but that doesn't make it easier.

They are hoping that they will only have to stay up there for a day or two. Please pray for Lisa gain strength and her body to heal.

Lisa is doing pretty well... She had her blood level checked today and right on schedule her white blood count is 0. So she continues to be unable to be around others. She feels tired and still queasy some but ok. Continue to pray she gains strength and energy, that she stays 'germ-free.' Love ya Lisa! We are all here for you and your family...

this is from a post on facebook.

16 + 1 day

A quiet morning in her PJ's was how Lisa spent the morning of her 16th birthday! Sounds fabulous to me! But later she got "prettied up" and went out for pizza with the family!

She was all smiles as she came back to her seat to find a Trial Blazer Banner, signed by the whole team, on her seat! Her grandpa had bought it at the auction at West Salem's basketball game and saved it to give it to her for her birthday! (If you didn't know already...she loves Rudy!) She also received a few other very special gifts from her family.

Today her mom said she is still smiling....but feeling weak and tired. She will go up to the hospital later in the week to check all her counts and to see how she is doing. But for now, she is so happy to be home!

sweet 16...home sweet home...lots of sweets

The title of the post pretty much sums up Lisa's day today.

Lisa was discharged from the hospital around 11:00 today. What Lisa didn't know was that a big group of her family and close friends were waiting next door to her house to help her celebrate her 16th birthday! (which is actually tomorrow). I think we pulled off the surprise until she approached her house and saw about 20 cars! But anyway we had a fun time eating cake and watching Lisa open cards and presents.

Lisa looked cute in her Toby Mac hat, she had lots of smiles, but she said she was tired and ready for a nap when the party was over.

Glad your back home Lisa.

Tonight is the last night of this round of chemo for Lisa. The doctors almost would not let Lisa have the last dose because her blood pressure had dropped too low. They were on the fence all afternoon, but finally decided that her body could handle it. This chemo's effects build in her body as the week goes on. The doctors told the family that it would "mess with her mind", and although they have been happy that they have not had to deal with that yet, they are starting to see some signs of that starting to happen. So please pray that Lisa's blood pressure will stay stable, that she will be able to stay still and get some peaceful sleep and that the side effects of this chemo will me minimal.

We know that Lisa is in good hands up at the hospital, and we are all so thankful for the doctors and nurses and love and take such good care of her. Thanks you.

Hang in there Lisa. You are braver than I can imagine and you have grown so dear to me and so many others over these last years! (and by the way..you are almost 16!)

See you at home soon!

ss

Dose 4 of chemo is underway. Lisa was not tied down today either. The Social Director, as she is called on the floor, continued to visit. That being said she's more tired & feeling a bit queasy. Praying tonight for rest, that she's not nauseous, for refreshed strength... And for His evident presence in her room. We love ya girl - it's night 4 of 5. You're almost done with this round!

This was a post from facebook. Lisa seems to be handling this chemo well so far. They are giving her some drugs to make sure that her kidneys and liver are not damaged from the drugs. This drug makes her very sleepy and also makes her face swell. But Lisa has kept her amazing attitude. She is accepting this treatment with HOPE because she says she she actually feels better that she did a month ago. Lisa can feel God's Love.

Lisa is about to start round 3! She had another good day today capped off with a PRIME RIB dinner with her family in the main hospital dining hall. she ate well!! Amazing our Lisa!! So for tonight - we pray for another night of surprising rest and peace. We pray you will not be nauseous. We pray for healing. And we trust Him to meet you and your family's needs and hearts in unexpected ways.

The chemo started a little late last night...9:30 instead of 8, but thats ok, it gave a little time for a card game. Its amazing how you can appreciate the little things in life when you are up there. Lisa met another 15 yr old girl last night and they enjoyed getting to know each other.

The first night of the chemo didn't make Lisa too sick. She just struggled with being nauseous. That is when she want to lay still and be quiet so it doesn't go past that feeling.

Today she did manage to go to the schoolhouse and work on some homework. Anything to get out of the room! She also got to play bingo a 1:00. Hope you won!

The 2nd night of chemo will start again at 9:30. As each night of chemo builds in her system and she will feel the affects of it more.

I believe that after this week of chemo they will do another scan to see how it is working and then determine their course of action from there. So pray that this powerful chemo will do its job and our powerful God will heal!

round 2 @ 8 pm

Lisa's a little nervous....round 2 of this horrible strong chemo starts tonight about 8. They said to expect this round to be harder on her that the first round, so you can understand why Lisa is nervous.

Lisa we are all keeping you in our thoughts and prayers as you go through these next 5 days, that the nasty chemo will do its job and get rid of the even nastier cancer!

ss

Tobey Mac and Tobey Mac groupie!

Toby Mac

Last night Lisa had a amazing time at the Toby Mac concert! The cancer society made this possible for Lisa and that was one of the greatest gifts they could have given her. Lisa went to his concert last year and got to meet him then, and when she got to see him this year he totally remembered meeting her! Yep, they were old friends! Needless to say she had a great time, and I thinks she has a little Toby Mac crush going on!

So glad you were feeling good that you could enjoy the night!

Fun basketball game

Tonight at the West vs. McNary game Lisa had a good time seeing her friends again! This was a fund raiser for Lisa and a reminder to all of us that there are many sick kids the depend on the doctors and care at Doernbecher.

They sold bracelets and raffle tickets at the gate, and at the 3rd quarter Lisa drew a name for the winner of the 50/50 raffle.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see and support Lisa. She has been doing really good since she came home a few days ago. Let hope and pray she can really enjoy the Tobey Mac concert she is going to tomorrow night and the next week or so before she heads back to Doernbecher for her next round of chemo.

By the way...West won!

Hey Everybody!

This Friday at West Salem High you have the opportunity to help show Lisa Harder how much we love and support her.

Over the last 2 years Lisa has touched the heart of so many of her classmates at West High. This Friday the school is giving back to Lisa. At 7:00 this Fri., there is a boy's basketball game at West, against McNary. Each players is being sponsored for a dollar amount for each basket made. The proceeds made from this fundraiser will go to Lisa to help pay for medical needs. Sometime during the game they will also be auctioning off a Trail Blazer poster that is being signed by many of the Blazers.

So come on down to the game this Friday. Support Lisa and enjoy a night out!

See you there!

hanging in there

Last night Lisa's temp reached 102 degrees. This is so scary because her white blood cell count is so low and can not fight off whatever is attacking Lisa right now. Since then her temp has come down some and Gail and Lisa were both able to get a little sleep. Lisa is also fighting a rash that has formed under her arm. The spots have all formed heads now so the doctors were able to take samples from them to see if they can determine what caused them. The Doctors are saying the the chemo is doing its job and even though Lisa has gotten sick and had some complications from it that is what they really need to see in order for them to know the chemo is working. Its a catch 22! They are seeing a rise in her white blood cells so that is encouraging.

Lisa misses school, friends, and yes, even school work. I think maybe the meds are playing with her mind if she is thinking she misses school work! But non the less, she has searched out a few friends on the floor and together they have gone down to the classroom to "hit the books". But I don't think it will be all work...because this evening Lisa is trying to get together a good old card game with some of the other patients. I think maybe we have a little social director in the making!

They are not sure when they will come back home, but they are hoping for tomorrow.

Prayer needed

Lisa has been fighting a fever for a day or 2. Yesterday they knew it was getting bad but they hoped they could keep it under control through the night. They did manage it last night but this morning it started to rise even more and she noticed a rash under her arms, so they decided they needed to head back up to OHSU to have the Doctors look at her.

Pray that the doctors will have wisdom to know exactly what she needs and they will be able to lower her temp and she will be able to come back home for the 2 weeks before she starts the next round of chemo. The chemo that they gave her is nasty stuff and she did very well with it but she body need extra ordinary strength to handle it. God can give her that!

Home

Lisa was able to come home today. She finished this session of chemo last night and the Doctors released her to come home for 3 weeks until she starts the next session. She managed to make it through this round with out "getting sick" although she sure felt sick. Everyone was very happy about that. The Doctors also said to expect nose bleeds and they thought Lisa avoided that too, but on the way home she had a heavy nose bleed. This means that her white blood count is falling. Pray for that not to drop too low.

It is very good to be home. All the tubes, bells and whistles are gone for awhile. Hopefully all will sleep better too. Lisa looks good. She is eating and talking, just a little quieter than usual.

So lets hope and pray she gets stronger during these 3 weeks before she starts round 2.

ss

Prayers and Love

Thanks for all the prayers and love. After a very restless sleepless night on Friday Lisa slept fairly well on Sat. She has stopped eating now and doesn't even want to move. I am sure she feels like if she were to do either of those things she would get sick, because she is just on the verge.

I know yesterday they didn't want any visitors, so probably from now on again we should check in before we pop in. Gail's sleep is interrupted at night too, so she probably tries to catch up when it is quiet in the room. They have a window seat bed that she sleeps on that is pretty comfy, but if a second person wants to stay the night ....they sleep in a vinyl recliner, not so comfy.

Lisa I know LOTS of people are praying for you and sending LOVE.

ss

KFC

You know things are going pretty good when KFC still sounds good for dinner!

That is what Lisa asked for for dinner last night. Just before she started her 3rd night of chemo Lisa and Connor scarfed down some chicken and mashed potatoes!

About 5:30 the nurse came to hook Lisa up to several bags of clear liquid that just looked like water, but in reality it is the poison that we all pray kills the cancer in her lungs. So far Lisa has handled the chemo very well. She came into this strong, and that helps. They know that this super strong chemo will eventually make her very sick but the longer she can fight that off the better.

As the chemo dripped into Lisa she got quieter but we could still see that sweet smile come across her face as we talked. I hope the night went well and we will see you at home on Monday.

ss

Lisa and Connor hanging out on Friday night.

Round 2

Today one of bravest girls I know started the fight against cancer again. She is determined to live life to the fullest and that means trying to win this battle with cancer.

Lisa started chemo around 5 this afternoon. This is a very strong chemo that they hope will stunt the growth of the mandarin oranges (the size of her tumors) inside her lung. This chemo will last for 5 days. She is administered the chemo for 2 hours and then they wash it out for 4 hours. This goes on in some form for 5 days. We really hope that she will handle this first round well and be able to come home. She will have 3 weeks off and then go back to the hospital to start the process over again.

We can't deny that everyone involved is scared and we really hoped that Lisa would not have to go through this again. But if you know Lisa at all, you know that she has placed all her hope in God. She has shared her faith and journey with her peers several times this week and has touched so many lives. She is an amazing young woman and I see that in her more and more each day! We love you Lisa.