Let's Help GiGi Lewis Johnson's Battle With Cancer

The words of Jana  Fain: 

To know GiGi Baer Lewis Johnson is to love her. And there’s much to love: her radiant smile, her giving spirit, her quick wit, her grit and determination. She is a loyal and faithful friend, a light in the darkness, a gentle and caring spirit who provides hope to the hopeless. Throughout her work with Club Etiquette, GiGi selflessly impacted the lives of innumerable young people and adults, teaching them not only manners and protocol, but how to be respectful and kind to others. She now needs our help.

What Happened:

Many of you who know GiGi know that a few years back in the midst of divorcing her husband of 28 years, she suffered a stroke. A year later, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, a setback she took with two grains of salt, or as she put it, “two bumps in the road”. With the love and support of her close friends and family, GiGi navigated a unilateral mastectomy and cancer treatment, ending up with one “science boob” and one “party boob” (thanks to her dear friend Gabrielle for that description!)

About five years ago, GiGi received a call from her childhood sweetheart, Tommy Johnson. He was suffering with ALS and desperately needed an advocate. After surviving breast cancer, GiGi knew how important a support system can be, so without hesitation, she moved to Louisiana to be by his side. Everyone thought he’d be gone in a year. But under GiGi’s nurturing care, TJ started thriving, and they soon rekindled their childhood flame. They were married six months later.

For five years, GiGi was TJ’s constant companion, primary caregiver, and head cheerleader. She lovingly cared for Tommy without complaint and always with a smile on her face. Part of Tommy’s care involved physically moving him several times a day from his wheelchair to another place. After a while, GiGi started experiencing pain in her hips. As the pain intensified, she first had trouble and then eventually was unable to transfer Tommy by herself. She hated to admit it, but her body was failing her. So she started looking for a solution: maybe she needed to lose weight, or maybe she was doing this incorrectly, or maybe she was just too old. Being the trooper that she is, GiGi lost 14 pounds, went to a pain management clinic, and began physical therapy. Nothing worked.

By September 3, 2020 at 4am, in excruciating pain and without recourse, GiGi left her sweet TJ at home alone for the very first time since his disease had progressed and drove herself to the emergency room. On a scale of 1 to 10, her pain threshold was a 12. This was to be the first of four hospital or ER visits in a five-day period. During that time, GiGi almost died on the emergency room table and had a true NDE (near death experience). Her family was called from near and far to say their last goodbyes.

This was all Labor Day Weekend this past September. GiGi obviously survived the NDE, but she was diagnosed with incurable Stage 4 metastatic skeletal cancer. As she puts it, she’s now the proud owner of a body riddled with aggressive tumors throughout her entire skeletal system, including between every vertebra. No longer able to care for Tommy because she needed the same level of care herself, GiGi was forced to move him to a VA home. GiGi moved in with her sister and her wonderful husband, who nursed her back from the brink of death. 

In early November while GiGi was living with her sister, her sweet Tommy passed away. Broken-hearted but still determined, GiGi was given two months to seven years to live (without treatment). Determined to live another twenty years, GiGi opted for treatment and has recently completed radiation on the tumors pressing against her spinal cord. During radiation, her throat was raw and she could hardly swallow her own saliva. She will be on chemo for life, and recently underwent an unexpected surgical procedure. Even though her road is very painful and difficult, she remains kind, loving and quick witted! She has 50/50 chance of being here a year and a half from now.

Financial reprieve is desperately needed. We all know GiGi is all about helping others and it’s not in her nature to bother anyone with her challenges. But she has spent over $40,000 in the past four months with no money coming in and no end in sight. Funds are needed to put a BandAid on this fast drain, maybe catch her up to close to where she was before Tommy Ray passed and allow her to concentrate on creating some residual income. Her medical bills will continue to mount, and home health care assistance will be a way of life for her.

This is both a humbling and exciting time for GiGi.
Let’s show her how much she’s loved! Every little bit will help.

Thank you so much for your generosity!