Our dear Alisha was hospitalized on November 12th following some breathing complications and significant surges in body pain. A week later she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. A week after that we learned that her cancer is caused by a very specific genetic mutation that has a very specific treatment plan. The specific gene mutation and diagnosis is ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer.

Alisha started treatment on December 5th, which thankfully is a single pill that she takes daily. The cancer has metastasized throughout her entire body, which isn't news you want to hear, but the treatment is set to reach the cancer in her brain all the way down to her bones. While lung cancer is not curable, we are hopeful this treatment will keep the cancer from growing as well as helping it shrink and will prolong her life as long as possible.

Alisha has been in an incredible amount of pain the last few months and it has increased ten fold in the last month. The doctors and nurses at Fred Hutch and UW Med are taking excellent care of her, but life has changed dramatically.

Alisha does not have the energy or pain control to work, to drive, go to the gym or be active in the world like she was before her diagnosis. We don't have an official prognosis as of yet and it will be a month or so before we know how the treatment is really working.

Alisha's Lockspot Cafe & Mountaineering Club families are starting this fundraiser to take the worry out of how she's going to support herself, feed herself, house herself, pay her bills, pay for medical supplies and everything else that will arise during this journey.

Give what you can, but more importantly send all those positive vibes and energy Alisha's way. The universe has dealt her an incredibly difficult hand and the journey is going to be long and hard...we want to do what we can to ease the burden.

There are regular updates happening over on her Caring Bridge page and we encourage you to follow along there and leave messages there or here for Alisha.

All the thanks, all the LOVE!

xo,

Lockspot Cafe & Mountaineering Club Families