Get Lisa Well

Dear friends and family,

I write to you today from Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam. I’m en route to Cape Town for the first time in three years, and am feeling a bunch of emotions about it.

First, of course, I’m excited to see my family and loved ones.  It’s also been so long since I’ve last been home that I’ve forgotten what the Capetonian air feels like on my skin and the stench of kelp at the coast. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to eat fish so fresh you can still taste the ocean in it, and hear the clicks of Xhosa or greet my family in Kaapse Afrikaans. I’m excited to experience all of those things once again.

However, by far the most overwhelming emotion I’m feeling right now is fear.

I know what you want to tell me at this point: Don’t be scared. There’s nothing to fear.  Everything is going to be OK. God’s got your back. Everything will work out.

All of those things are true, AND, they don’t change the fact that there is a visceral, human, very physical manifestation of fear coursing through my veins right now, caused largely by my reason for going home – I’m going for 2-3 months (possibly more) of intense treatment for a chronic disease.

At this point, I’d like to give my sincerest thanks to everyone whom has supported my efforts to leave and reenter the US safely. You ensured that I can get treatment without sacrificing my dream of going to a US med school in the process. *You* were a part of a literal miracle, and I cannot thank you enough for your overwhelming, selfless support. It proved to me that with God, all things are possible. It reminded me that good people still exist

(If you’re suddenly lost reading all this, please check out my previous page here: www.gofundme.com/get-lisa-back-in-one-piece )

The success of my previous fundraising efforts has emboldened me just enough to start this page. No, that’s not true: the prompting of dear ones as well as feedback from much prayer has prompted me to start this page. I was very nervous about starting another fundraising effort, and asking my friends to help me, again. Why? Because, well, that’s so extra. I mean, Everyone is in perpetual financial distress. Everyone has issues. And, there are so many good causes out there and everyone is already supporting something. Besides, it’s rude to ask for more when people have already support. This is what I kept telling myself.

But the reality is this: if I can’t pay for treatment, I can’t get it. 

My mom put her entire inheritance into paying my first month of treatment. “You grandfather would’ve wanted you to stay alive and be well,” she reasoned.

After the first month of treatment, however, we (my family) have no financial security whatsoever. So, I am once again appealing to you out of pure desperation and from the bottom of my heart: please continue to pray for/send good vibes to me and my family during this time. Please continue to advocate for me by sharing this page. Sharing might not seem like much, but about a third of the funds generated from my previous page came from people advertising and sharing my page. Lastly, please continue to support this page financially and as you are able. If you have recently made a gift to my previous page, please do not give again immediately. I certainly do not expect that, and would hate to push you off with asking too much. My last fundraising page was for an immediate emergency, and for a lesser amount. This one, however, is for a more sustained period of time. So if over the next few months you are able to give to my page, or re-share my page, or continually keep me in prayer, that would mean more than the world to me.

So to put everything in a nutshell:

·       I’ve recently experienced a massive miracle in the form of friends, friends of friends, family, and dear ones near and far supporting my previous GoFundMe page. As a result, I don’t have to give up my dream of going to med school in the US to undergo treatment in South Africa for a chronic disease.

·       I am beyond thankful to everyone whom has already supported me, and thank God for making you a part of His miracle to me. It took a massive communal effort, and without your contribution, it would not have been possible. (For a student to raise over $1,500 in under 24 hours is definitely a miracle!)

·       Now that I’ve overcome the immediate obstacle of safely leaving and reentering the US following treatment, I am facing another, bigger obstacle: raising funds to pay for my treatment

·       Treatment is non-negotiable and also totally unaffordable for me and my family.

·       With the above said, I need another miracle. I need you and your help to pray for/send good vibes to, share and financially support this page, as you are able, over these next few months.

·       This will ensure that I can receive the treatment I need without lack of money jeopardizing my healing.

So once again, thank you to everyone whom has already supported me. If you have not yet, please consider doing so. Even if we’ve never met before, trust me: I’m an awesome human and you definitely want to invest in me! ;)



Thanks in advance for your support. Godspeed and God bless,

Lisa.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 19:28b


*Photo: Me finishing the 2017 Chicago Marathon with Team World Vision, an organization which brings clean water to people in Africa whom have never had it before. When I am healed, I hope to train for a sprint triathlon and ultimately a triathlon with TWV.

****UPDATE:***

Please see my latest update to this page under the "updates" tab. :)