Lia's Fight Against Cancer

Last year our sister Lia had the opportunity to teach English in Korea. While she was there, she developed a persistent cough which prompted her to go in and get it checked out. The doctors broke the news that Lia had stage 4 colon cancer which had already spread to her liver and lungs. Lia was forced to end her adventure in Korea and returned home to Appleton and begin chemotherapy in June of 2018.

Several months following Lia’s chemotherapy treatment, Lia reached out to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee for a second opinion. Though it was a difficult decision, she decided to continue treatment in Appleton as she felt that being closest to her support system--her family and friends -- would give her the encouragement she needed to fight this disease.

Currently, Lia has been having difficulty breathing on her own.  She is relying heavily on oxygen and has been in and out of the hospital in the past month due to her breathing issues in addition to infections.  Because of these complications, her oncologist has stopped her chemotherapy treatments. It has been about two months since her treatments have been discontinued and her condition is not improving.  Her oncologist has recommended that she not undergo any further treatments, but per Lia’s wishes, she still has the will to fight! She has persuaded her oncologist to prescribe an alternative oral chemotherapy medication to trial. However, the process of actually receiving the medication has taken longer than expected and she has not started the medication yet.  As her immediate family, we feel that she would be better cared for at a larger facility with more experienced doctors.  We are scheduled to meet with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN on March 20th for a consultation, but we are hoping to get Lia in sooner with Virginia Piper Cancer Institute in Minneapolis.


Lia is just 25 years young. She still has so many things to look forward to, people to meet, and dreams to chase. For those of you who know Lia, she is an independent, free-spirited, humble, positive human being. She is an ambitious person who always pursued her goals and dreams regardless of what others said. Even as she is battling cancer, she is still the strongest, most positive person we know. Every day is an opportunity for her, and she will not back down from this fight.

Until now, she has only opened up to close family and friends. She didn’t want to feel like a burden to anyone. All expenses for consultations and treatment out-of-state would have to be out of pocket. Unfortunately, Lia’s insurance only covers one consultation and it was already used when we consulted with Froedtert Hospital. As her family, we are burdening you for monetary donations which will be used towards all her medical expenses.

Please keep her in your prayers and help share her story. We thank you for your time and support.